The Sweetest Reality
by Akira Midori
Summary: This is my sequel to "Across the Night Sky." It might be wise to read that first, if you havent already. The crew set sail once again to find adventure. Drama sets in, and the feelings of love are all around. But is it just a dream, or sweet reality?
1. Chapter 1

Before you read, please note that this is a sequel to "Across the Midnight Sky." So if you read this story without reading the other, and you are confused, well then, that's your problem :3

I do not own any One Piece characters, Eiichiro Oda does. I own Ume, my OC.

The sun shone brightly upon the Going Merry. Luffy was sitting in his favorite seat, Nami was at the table drawing up more maps, Robin was reading a book, and Usopp, Chopper and Sanji were arguing over the topic of dinner. Zoro on the other hand, didn't act the same. He wasn't sleeping like he normally would be, instead he was in his sleeping spot, however his eyes were wide open. Confusion was written all over his face.

Robin put down her book and made her way over to the green-haired swordsman. She kneeled down besides him. "Zoro. You have been acting totally different ever since I woke you up from yesterday. Whats going on?"

"Its nothing, It was just a dream." He shook his head and let out a long sigh.

"A dream? What was it about?"

"You would think it was stupid if I told you. And you wouldn't believe me."

"Just try me." She folded her arms across her chest, and sat down in a comfortable postion.

"Alright, fine. Have you ever had a dream, that seemed so real, that you never wanted it to end, but when it did end, you felt like your mind was going to explode?" He rubbed his forehead and glanced back at Robin. She was puzzled by his question, but didn't hesitate to answer.

"I guess. It was about my parents. It was a long time ago though." She looked out to the ocean, and then back at Zoro. "Was it about your family?"

"No. It was about a girl that we rescued. She was gorgeous, and had a fascination with swords. It was like I had found my soul mate, and I fell in love with this lovely dream. I honestly thought It was reality, and that's why I have been depressed."

Robin put her right hand on his knee. "Look Zoro, I know you are depressed about it, but there is someone out there for you. There is someone out there for everybody, and even though it was a dream, who knows, that girl could still exist. God has a funny way of working things out for everyone." She gave him a caring smile. "You know you can talk to me about anything, and I understand your situation right now. Just try not to ponder on it too much, your love will find you sooner or later."

Zoro closed his eyes and let out a shorter sigh. "Thanks Robin, I appreciate you listening to my story. I think I'm going to catch some more shut-eye and hopefully forget about all of this."

Robin smiled and then stood up. "I'm glad to hear that you are not losing sleep over this."

It was only a matter of time until Zoro fell asleep. He could hear a distant sound of a woman in distress, but couldn't quite make out who it was. He felt himself walk down a long black corridor,without looking back. He felt that if he looked back, that his dream would end, and that this strange mystery would never be solved.

And then, he was awaken by the sound of his captain's shrilling, upbeat voice.

"We made it! This island is huge!!!" Luffy threw down the ladder and quickly made his way down. Robin, Nami and Sanji soon followed. Zoro rubbed his eyes and stood up. "Where are we you guys?"

"Some island that Luffy decided to stop off at, we need to stock up on supplies, we might be here for a couple of days, so feel free to explore!" Usopp ran past him and then stopped. "Why, were you asleep when we stopped?"

Zoro rubbed his head and looked away "Y-yeah. But I guess it was for the best. I need to explore a little bit."

The island was exactly how Luffy described it. Huge. People were walking around, doing normal errands. Kids were seen running back and forth, playing and soaking up the sun.

"Robin, lets go see if they have any cute clothes shops!" Nami grabbed her arm and began to walk. Robin was tugged behind.

"I'm going to go look for something to eat!" Luffy exclaimed as he ran off into the village.

Zoro sighed and looked around. It looked like all the other islands they have visited before, but he felt something was different. He made his way to the right of the island, and walked to a little town that was separate from the main village. He walked a few yards before he saw many shops that seemed to be stacked on top of each other. He could hear laughter of children, and before he knew it, he felt something strong bump into his left leg. He looked down and saw a young boy carrying a shinai. The boy stood back and bowed to Zoro.

"I-I'm so sorry sir! I was just running and-"

"Saku, how many times have I told you not to run with your shinai!" A young woman walked up to the both of them. She had a sword strapped to the side of her hip. She wore a strange outfit, a corset that had dancing colors of black and blue. Her skirt flowed gently in the wind. Black, blue and yellow stripes were printed on it. Her boots were black and yellow mixed, looking sort of like diamonds stretching across the leather. Her hair was waist length, and to Zoro's surprise, purple. She bowed to him and straightened her posture.

"Im so sorry sir! My student shouldn't be running with a shinai."

"Its alright." He looked her up and down. Something seemed familiar about this woman, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"I haven't seen you here before. Welcome to the island! I am the island's teacher of swords and fighting styles. My name is Ume."

Zoro's eyes widened "You said your name was Ume?!"

"Um, yes? And why are you carrying around three swords, you aren't trying to be like Roronoa Zoro are you? He's so dangerous." She sighed and then looked back at him "But yet, he's my hero. He is the reason why I set up my own school."

"I am Zoro." he stood straight, and examined her now surprised look. She stepped back and laughed.

"You can't be him, he's searching the world to become the greatest pirate hunter!"

Zoro's face turned from stunned to annoyed in less than a second. "I'm being serious, I really am Roronoa Zoro. God, people are so blind." he rubbed his head and turned around.

She continued to laugh. "I-i'm sorry, I really am, that was really rude of me. If you really are Zoro, then why don't you come back to my dojo and show me and my students." A smirk formed across her ruby lips.

"No thanks, I have no time to waste with kids." he turned around and began to walk away.

"And by the way Mr. Swordsman, you sounded surprised that my name was Ume, Was that the name of your dead girlfriend or something?"

Zoro turned around and shot an evil glance at her. His mouth formed into a smirk. "No, but I did have a dream about you the other night, or at least I think it was you."

Ume was completely confused. She sighed and made a hand gesture towards herself. "Come on, come back with me. I'm about to fix lunch, and its the least I can do since Saku ran into you." She looked around, and the young boy was no where to be found. She sighed and rubbed her head. "He's gone again. That kid is nothing but trouble, I swear."

Zoro sighed and looked back to town, and then back at her. "I'm sure one meal from a complete stranger wont kill me." He walked besides Ume, still studying her from the corner of his eye. She lead him back to an old Japanese style dojo. She took off her boots, and encouraged Zoro to do the same. She lead him inside, opening up a new world to him.

There were 3 swords hanging from the wall. Underneath there was a scroll that had kanji written from top to bottom. It read "Try your hardest, succeed and carry your pride forever."

Zoro looked around, but didn't see any other students. He looked back at Ume confused "I thought you said you had students.."

"I do, I have 3 actually." She smiled sheepishly. "This school is fairly new. You see, My father and mother both grew up in families that were dedicated to the art of sword fighting. They decided to teach me and my oldest brother. Sadly enough there was a war about 9 years ago, and the three of them were killed." She looked up to the wall where the three swords hung. "Those are all I have to remember them by."

"I am sorry to hear that." Zoro didn't know what else to say. He was still astounded by the dojo.

She lead Zoro over to the farthest left wall, and began pointing at a big picture. She was in the back, and three kids were in front of her, smiling brightly, despite of the class size.

"That one there, is Saku, the one that ran into you." She pointed to the little blue-haired boy. "He's only 11, his parents are trusting me to train him. He's a good student, but stubborn. Oh, and this one is Kuna."

She pointed to a boy that seemed to be a couple years older than Saku. He had black hair, and a scar on his left cheek. "Kuna's 13. His parents were killed not too long ago by intruders. He's living with his grand parents until he is old enough to move on. And this is Rina, she's only 7, her parent's are having me teach her so she can have some knowledge of self-defense." She pointed to a little girl with blonde hair that was pulled back in pigtails. She had the biggest grin out of all 4 of them.

"Seems like you are doing well then, teaching these kids on your own." Zoro smiled as he examined the picture more.

"Yeah, it gets difficult sometimes, I wish I had someone helping me out, but everything happens for a reason, right?" She smiled to him and then turned to walk towards a back room. "I'll go fix us some lunch. The kids should be here shortly. Make yourself at home!"

Zoro chuckled to himself "Yeah, how am I going to make myself at home in this empty dojo." He spotted a dark, green bench that was at the back of the room. It looked as if it was a 'Time out' bench for the kids. He stretched himself out onto it, and closed his eyes. He was awaken shortly by the screams of a little girl.

His eyes flew open, and he saw the three kids standing in front of him. The little girl, Rina, was hiding behind Kuna. Saku sighed and smiled at Rina. "Its ok, he's a friend of Master Ume's."

"He's still.. scary!" the little girl glanced at Zoro, and then hid her face once again.

"Why are you here, and what business do you have with us!" The oldest boy, Kuna stepped forward, a scowl forming across his face. Zoro held up his hands and sighed. "Like Saku said, im a friend of your master's. She is treating me to lunch since that little mutant ran into me."

"I am not a mutant! And you ran into me!" Saku's face turned serious, anger was spreading across his whole body.

"Saku! What have I told you about raising your voice to adults!" Ume came out from the back room. She sighed and looked towards Zoro. "I'm so sorry, they are not used to strangers."

"No, its fine, just as long as they dont think im going to kill them." He rubbed his forehead and looked at the 3 kids. Rina seemed to not be afraid of him any longer, she circled around him, closely examining him.

"Master! He has three swords!" the little girl gasped and ran back to Ume.

She smiled and laughed "Yes, he claims to be Roronoa Zoro, but we are going to put him to the ultimate test aren't we kids?"

Kuna eyed Zoro in a devious way. "Why does he have to be here. We were doing just fine on our own!"

"Kuna! That is no way to treat Zoro!"

"And how do we even know he is Zoro!"

"I am Zoro, you punk." Zoro stood up and unhooked his swords from his side. He untied his bandana from his arm, and then tied it back onto his head.

"Guys! Please! This is supposed to be a calm school! I will not tolerate unnecessary fighting! Now show him some respect!" Ume was holding back Kuna, and she looked up to Zoro. "I really am sorry for the disrespect they are showing towards you. I thought I taught them better."

"Its fine, kids are kids after all, and they don't know about my powers." He was in his ready position, his sword already in his mouth. "Got any targets to slice up?"

"Um, hold on." Ume ran back to the back, and brought out four 45 inch planks. She sat them up and looked back at him. "Don't hesitate to break them, I mean, if you can."

"Master! Those boards are made up of special wood that can only be cut by the strongest person! You haven't even been able to break them!" Saku looked at Ume and then back to Zoro with hope and excitement.

"Well if he is Zoro, he should be able to slice them." She sat down on the bench, and gestured the kids to join her.

Zoro stared at the planks for a few moments, and then ran towards them. "ONI..GIRI!" He sliced through the first plank. It fell to the ground in two pieces. He turned to face the last 3 planks. He took a deep breath and ran towards them "TIGER.. TRAP!" and successfully, he sliced them all without breaking a sweat. He turned to face the four of them, Rina stood up and ran to him, hugging onto his leg. "You are Zoro! Ive waited so long to meet you!"

The two boys looked impressed, but slightly jealous. Ume stood up and walked over to him, astonishment was all that her face showed.

"You really are, Zoro.." She felt her heart skip a beat. She bowed to him, and the kids mimicked her gesture.

"Welcome to our Dojo, Roronoa Zoro. Please stay as long as you please." She looked up and smiled.

This was definitely the girl from his dreams. The smile, the hair, everything was the same except for her outfit.. and he believed deep down, that she was really the same girl that he dreamed of.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun began to set in the little village that the strawhats came across. Of course, Zoro was still at the dojo, watching the kids practice. To his surprise, they were not that bad, for kids.

It was soon eight P.M, and practice was over. Ume sent the kids home to their families, and walked over to the bench where Zoro was sitting.

"So, Mr. Roronoa-"

"Please, Ume.. call me Zoro. It feels weird being called by my proper name." He rubbed the back of his head and laughed softly.

"Alright, Zoro. You never did tell me where you came from, or why you are here." She pulled her long, purple hair into a high ponytail, and looked back at him, expecting a believable story.

"Im traveling with my crew." He looked up to the ceiling, and then looked back to Ume.

"Your crew?" She seemed puzzled "Are you apart of a pirate crew or something?" She laughed softly.

"Yeah. That's it."

"What! But why a pirate ship! I thought you were a pirate hunter!" She scoffed at him, not being able to believe what he just said.

"Its a long story. I had problems with the Marines, and I was locked up for a month with no food or water, and Luffy came along. He said that he was going to be King of the Pirates, and at first I thought it was crazy, but then I discovered that he ate the Gum Gum fruit, and his body is rubber. He helped me escape, and ever since I have been the swordsman on his crew. Along the way, we have found Nami, our naviagor; Usopp, the brave warrior of the sea; Sanji, the seacook; Nico Robin, the archaeologist, and Tony Tony Chopper, our doctor. We aren't like normal pirates. We don't terrorize villages and islands, we are just trying to reach our goals."

"I see, it seems like a very interesting story.. but might I ask, why are you still with them? You are extremely strong, and you are a legend."

"I'm with them because I am apart of their crew. We each have our specialty. I may be strong, but destiny has led me here."

"It seems like a lot of fun, to travel all over. I wish I could do that, but I made a promise to the kids. They may have families, but they are so dedicated to learning, I couldn't take it away from them."

"I understand how you feel, that's like me going away from the ship, I don't know if I could do it." Zoro stood up and straightened up his swords. "Well, it was very nice of you to welcome me to your dojo, and your students are very bright. But I must go, the crew is probably wondering where I am."

"Will I ever see you again?" Ume stood up and grabbed his left wrist softly. She looked up to him, her eyes were shimmering, like she was about to cry.

"I can't say for sure, but I'm pretty sure we are not leaving so soon. Who knows, maybe I shall see you tomorrow." He smiled to her and walked towards the door. He was outside, and he poked his head back in the doorway. "Take care, Ume. And thank you."

"You are most certainly welcome, Zoro." She fell to the ground, and grabbed her chest. "He's exactly what this dojo needs. He's what these kids need.. he is what I need." She closed her eyes, and stood up steadily, and then made her way to the back room.

Zoro made his way down the dirt road to the shore, where the Going Merry was docked. He climbed the ladder and was soon on the top deck of the ship. It was already dark, and it seemed that almost everyone was still not back. Robin was sitting at the table, reading her book by candlelight.

"Robin, I gotta tell you what happened!" Zoro walked over to her, and pulled out a chair to sit down in. Robin looked up and smiled "You look awfully cheerful, what happened?"

"Remember that dream? I found the girl from my dream.." He looked up to the sky, observing the twinkling stars in the dark, indigo sky.

"No way! Thats wonderful Zoro! What is she like?" Robin shut her book, and looked over to the green-haired swordsman.

"She's everything that was in my dream, except she owns her own dojo, and she teaches 3 young kids. She's different, but for some reason, I feel connected with them."

Robin took a sip of tea and looked back at Zoro with happiness appearing across her face. "Thats great, Zoro! But you really do need to be careful."

Zoro looked at Robin with concern and confusion. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, this girl is going to fall in love with you, and the same with those kids. Remember your dream, just don't hurt her."

Zoro sighed and bent his head back. "I'm not that worried. She doesn't seem like she is interested in me, just only interested in a friend." He stood up and readjusted his swords.

"But you have interest in her?"

"Women are troublesome. I learned that awhile ago." He went to the lower deck into the sleeping quarters.


	3. Chapter 3

Zoro awoke the next morning, unaware that he was even asleep in the first place. Everyone was already out of bed, and off of the ship. He stood up, stretched, and fastened his swords to his side. "Better go see what Ume and the kids are up to." He climbed down from the ship, and made his way towards the small dojo.

The sky was partly cloudy, which was a little surprising, but Zoro didn't think anything of it. People were acting a little strange, acting like they were in some sort of a hurry. He reached the dojo, and took his boots off at the front door for respect.

The door slid open quite fast. Zoro looked down to see Rina, all dressed up in her practice uniform that had dancing colors of green, black and purple.

"Good Afternoon Mr. Zoro!" She took his hand and turned to walk inside. Zoro felt a little awkward, but slowly walked into the dojo's main room with the bubbly little girl.

"Good Afternoon, Zoro." Ume stood up from the bench and made her way over to the green haired swordsman, smiling brightly.

He smiled back and blushed slightly "Why 'Good Afternoon', what happened to 'Good Morning'?"

Ume laughed and shook her head "Its 1 P.M, Zoro.."

"Oh, well uh, sorry I overslept." He bowed to her and then stood straight.

"Don't apologize, you can help me with the kids! You see, I train Kuna and Saku for a little while, and since Rina's too young, I usually make her stretch, but thats no fun for her. So just help her with her form. Her shinai should be in the closet over there." She pointed to a little oak cabinet, right next to one of the windows.

"Um, I never really taught kids before.." he rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at Rina.

"Why, are you scared of me, Mr. Zoro?" Rina 's face turned into a pout. She took his hand and lead him over to the cabinet.

"Not at all, you are just a little girl." He laughed and opened up the cabinet. He saw 2 shinai's. One was rather large, just the size for Zoro, or for Ume. And the other was half the size, with Rina's name written on the side. She picked up the sword, and held it to her side.

"Now hold on, you need to warm up." Zoro shook his head and took out the other shinai.

"I already warmed up, we do a morning warm up every day." She held out the shinai in ready stance.

"Rina, hold on. Put your shinai down." Zoro went over to the window, and saw that the sky was now a very dark gray.

"Ume, was there supposed to be a storm today?" Zoro looked to Ume, who was now running over to him, to see out the window. "There's a storm coming, and its the strongest we have had in 3 years..." her faced flushed to an extreme pale.

"There's no way, it was just calm awhile ago, and how can you tell-"

"This place is different. It is said that storms can show up at any time. And every time they come, their strengths vary."

Rina clutched onto Ume's right leg. She looked down to Rina and sighed "Go with Kuna and Saku into the safe room."

"Safe room?" Zoro looked confused as he watched the kids run to the back room of the dojo.

"Yes. It has practically everything we will possibly need in case of a bad storm, but it has no windows, and all of the cabinets are designed to be small." She walked outside to the inclosed porch. People were running back into their with bags of food. The wind was slowly starting to pick up, thunder was heard in the distance.

"I gotta get back to the ship." Zoro strapped on his boots.

"No, Zoro you can't go! Its extremely dangerous out there." Ume looked up to Zoro, with begging eyes. He sighed and looked down to her. "My crew is going to be extremely worried.."

"And so will we, if you go out into this mess. Please Zoro, help me protect my dojo, and the kids."

Zoro looked out into the storm, and then back into Ume's eyes. "Alright, its going to get extremely bad. I still don't know how you can tell, but I believe that everyone can see the dangers that is about to approach us." He took her shoulder and turned her to face the inside of the dojo. He lead her back in, and into the back room, where Rina, Saku and Kuna sat.

Meanwhile, aboard the Going Merry.

"Tie up the sales! Usopp, Chopper, make sure the anchor is tight! Sanji, make food!"

"Luffy! This isn't the time for food!" Sanji was up in the crow's nest, trying his best to tie the sails back. Robin was helping him.

Nami was covering up her tangerine orchard with a huge tarp. "WHERE THE HELL IS ZORO?! HE NEEDS TO HELP US OUT!"

"I don't know, he's probably with Ume!" Robin shouted down to Nami.

"With who?! And how in the hell is that more important than helping us! Our ship is going to take on a lot of damage as it is!"

"He probably has a good explanation! Get off of his back, Nami! You should be worried about him!" Usopp shouted up to Nami. Apparently he had been listening into their argument.

"EVERYONE DOWNSTAIRS! THE WIND IS PICKING UP!" Sanji grabbed ahold of Robin, and helped her down the rope-stairs.

The rest of the crew ran down into the kitchen quarters, trying their best to dry off.

"Where's Zoro, Luffy?" Chopper sat up in a small chair, his face was filled with worry.

"I don't know. Robin, you said something about a girl named Ume?" Luffy looked over to Robin, and was expecting some answers.

"Yeah, he met a new friend with a sword fighting dojo. He was probably over there when the storm started to approach, and just decided to stay there.."

"Well, we can only hope that is where he is." Nami sighed and looked out the kitchen window. The rain was coming down so hard, that it was like a white curtain covered the window.

Back at the dojo:

Rina hugged onto Ume, as she began to sob hard. Ume stroked Rina's soft head, and began rocking her back and forth. Kuna and Saku were set up against the wall, with a blanket over both of them. Zoro sat up against the nearest wall, and watched Ume as she cradled the frightened child.

On a brighter side, The room appeared storm-safe, just as Ume explained it would be. It was the size of the sleeping quarters back on the Going Merry. Sleeping bags and pillows were stacked on top of a cabinet that was in the opposite side of the room.

"This is a nice place." Zoro said as he stood up and looked around.

Ume stood up, Rina still clung to her. "Yeah, its cozy." She lead Rina over to the two boys, and encouraged her to stay with them.

"You live here by yourself?" Zoro looked at her, a little surprised.

"Yeah, this is my home." She smiled to him. She walked over to one of the cabinets, and pulled out a drawer that was filled with candles and matches. She lit a few candles, and set them up around the room. She turned out the lights in the room and looked over to the kids.

"There's no need in leaving the lights on, the power is just going to cut out in a few, so why not get used to it?" Ume shrugged to herself and then walked over to another cabinet and began pulling out blankets.

"You cold, Zoro?" She handed him a dark green blanket.

"No, I'm fine. Just a little worried about the crew.." He looked over to Kuna and Saku, who were already asleep. Rina sat there and hugged her knees tight, tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Anyone hungry?" Ume said brightly, trying to calm Rina down.

"Sounds like a good idea." Zoro sat down and stretched out. "You need any help?"

"No, im just going to attempt to steam dumplings over the fire. Just watch the kids and make sure they are ok." Ume made her way to the back of the room and started up the wood burning stove.

A huge clap of thunder was heard, it felt like it shook the whole dojo. Rina jumped up and ran over to Zoro, and clinged to him for dear life. Zoro looked down to her, a little surprised, but then realized it was a child reaction. He sat back and tried to calm Rina down.

A huge crash was heard outside. Ume ran over to the door and swung it open, soon running out into the main room in the dojo.

"Zoro! Help! The windows are shattering!"

Zoro stood up fast, and ran out to help Ume, little Rina followed.

"No Rina, go back in the back room, please."

"But i'm scared and everyone else is asleep!" She sobbed and soon rubbed her eyes.

Zoro kneeled down to her "Listen here Rina, a good swordsman never shows that he is afraid. Go protect your brothers, I know you are strong." He stood up and ran to help Ume. Rina ran back to the room, just as she was told.

Ume was trying to close the wooden doors that covered the windows, but her strength was no match for the wind. Zoro gently pushed her out of the way and forced the wooden door shut. He locked it with a wooden post, and then ran over to the next window, that was not quite broken yet. Ume ran to the other side of the room and began shutting every wooden door that she could.

The sound of shattering glass was heard, and a sharp scream was heard. Ume looked over and noticed Zoro's arms were all cut up, but he was still forcing the doors to close. As he got the last door closed, Ume ran over to him and lead him into the back room. "Zoro! Are you okay?!" She lead him into the back of the room where there was a medical cot. She sat him down and began heating up water in an extra kettle over the fire. Rina was standing next to his bed, tears running down her cheeks as she forced to hold them back.

"You were very strong Rina. I'm proud of you.." Zoro moaned in pain and looked at both of his arms. They were completely covered in blood, and some shards of glass were still imbedded. He closed his eyes and laid back.

Ume was soon back to his side, hurrying as fast as she cold to remove his blood stained clothes. She noticed the huge scars across his chest, but found it appropriate to ask him another time. She began to wash off as much blood she possibly could without injuring him more. His screams pierced the room, and soon woke up the two boys.

"What happened, Master Ume?!" Saku ran over to the bed, Ume shot a look back as to warn him not to get close. "Go grab me some tweezers and some gauze from the cabinet. Kuna, get me the antiseptic in the cabinet!

Ume steadily began removing the glass from his arms, screams and shouts were heard from Zoro, which were to be expected. His body shook with adrenaline, his eyes were filled with tears.

"All the glass is out, the hardest part is over, Zoro. Hang in there.." She walked over to the stove and removed the pot of water. She threw some rags into it, and hurriedly walked over to Zoro's bed. She began washing his arms gently, preparing to use the antiseptic and bandages.

Zoro bit his lip, trying hard not to let out any sign that he was in pain.

Kuna and Saku brought Ume's supplies to her. "Thank you boys, now take Rina and keep her occupied."

It was soon just Zoro and Ume. She gave him a clean cloth to bite down on. "This antiseptic will hurt.. but I promise it will help you heal fast. You don't look like you need stitches, thank God. But I will cover your arms in gauze and bandage you up good. Just promise me you wont use your arms that much.."

"You know I can't promise that Ume.." He cringed at the pain. And looked back to her with sympathetic eyes.

"Zoro, your arms are wounded badly. I don't want them to tear back open." She began to cleanse his arm with the antiseptic. She could hear muffled screams coming from Zoro, the clean cloth was a good idea after all. She soon covered his arms in gauze, and then tightly wrapped his arms up in cloth bandages.

"All done." She took his bloody shirt over to a clothes washing barrel, and threw it in. She dumped hot water into the barrel and then closed the lid.

"You are lucky Zoro, it could have been worse." she sat down next to his bed and rested her head on the side.

"Yeah, I know it could have been worse, but I had to help you. I'm just glad it was me, and not you."

"Don't say such things, Zoro. This shouldn't of happened to anyone. But things happen for a reason." She stood up and walked over to the stove. "The dumplings are almost done, care for one?"

"No thanks, im not really that hungry anymore." Zoro closed his eyes, and steadied his breath.

"Alright, I can't force you to eat, but I do expect you to consume something sooner or later." She scooped out a couple of steamed dumplings, and put them into a big bowl. She took the bowl over to the kids, and sat it down in front of them.

The storm continued on, not letting up for a second. Ume could hear the wind howling, and the rain slamming into the side of the little dojo. She closed her eyes and leaned up against the wall. "I just want this damn storm to pass."

The next morning, Zoro was awoken by a sharp pain. He winced and his eyes shot open. He saw Ume tending to his wounds. She was washing them off gently, and re-bandaging them. She didn't look a bit happy.

"Good morning, Ume." Zoro said as he looked up to her.

"Morning." She said very quickly, her face was full of stress.

"What happened?" Zoro tried to sit up, but was forced back down gently by Ume's soft hand.

"The dojo took a lot of damage. We need a new roof, and new windows.." She stood up and walked over to the kids, who were still asleep.

"Im so sorry, Ume. I will help you any way I can." Zoro sat up, without being held back by Ume. He stood up and walked over to her.

Ume sighed and shook her head "You are injured, get back in bed."

"No. You are in distress. I can understand how you feel right now. Maybe not completely, but I have a feeling. It will all be okay-"

"It's not about the money to pay for the stuff, or the fact that it needs repaired. Its whether or not I will have help."

"I just told you I would help." Zoro scratched the back of his head and looked to her.

"You have a crew to attend to."

"Fixing the dojo won't take that long, and I'm not leaving you alone to fix this all by yourself." He opened up the door and walked out into the main room. There was water damage over by the windows, and glass was still scattered across the floor. He opened up one of the wooden doors that covered one of the windows, and looked outside. It was still a bit cloudy, and he saw that the dojo was not the only place that was badly damaged. Homes were battle scarred, glass was everywhere. It would take forever for this town to rebuild.

He walked back into the back room, and saw that the kids were now up. Ume stood up and looked at Zoro. "Its time for me to send the kids home, their parents are probably worried sick.." She walked with the 3 young kids out into the main room of the dojo. Rina's eyes filled up with tears, but she tried her hardest to fight them back.

"Whats going to happen to the dojo.." Kuna said, his heart filled with sorrow.

"Nothing is going to happen, I will fix it up. Consider this Summer Vacation for practice. Go home, and tend to your families, don't worry about this place. I have Zoro to help me.

Saku had already left the dojo, and Kuna was on his way out the door, when Rina ran back to Zoro.

"Take care of my master." She hugged onto him, and ran outside.


	4. Chapter 4

Zoro's eyes scanned the damaged dojo. He rubbed his forehead and let out a long sigh.

"Something wrong?" Ume looked over to Zoro, as she began to pick up shards of glass.

"Its nothing, I just should really go back to the ship and see how much damage it took on."

"Oh, well go ahead and do that, I can clean a little bit!" Ume began sweeping up the tiny glass shards with an old-fashioned broom.

"No, I told you that I was going to help you. I promised the kids-"

"Zoro, don't worry about it! Its not like you are going to go and be gone forever!"

Zoro slipped on his boots and looked towards Ume. "I'm really sorry, I promise I will be back as soon as possible."

"Not a problem! I just hope everything is ok with your ship." Ume waved to Zoro, as he made his way out of the dojo, and down the dirt path, towards the shore.

When Zoro reached the Going Merry, he couldn't believe what he saw. The ship took on a lot of damage, railings were tore up, the mast looked like it had a couple of holes ripped into it, and the deck was covered in debris. He climbed up the ladder, and finally set foot upon the main deck.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Zoro looked over to see a very angry Sanji. He was in a white shirt, and black pants, with a broom in his hand.

"It's none of your business.." Zoro said sharply, as he made his way downstairs. He finally ran into Nami, who didn't look too happy to see him, either.

"Where the hell were you?!" She screamed, her cheeks turning a reddish color.

"God, it's no one's business!" he shoved his way past Nami, and walked into the kitchen, to see the rest of the crew sitting.

"Look before anyone asks-" Zoro was soon interrupted.

"Where were you, Zoro? We were worried sick." Robin sat down her book and stood up.

"I was at Ume's dojo, She wouldn't let me out in the storm. She was just trying to he-"

"Well, we needed your help, you are one of the strongest, and we had trouble getting everything together." Luffy stood up and smiled "But no worries, it's not like the ship is underwater."

"So, the ship is still damaged! And its all because of this stupid marimo-" Sanji walked into the kitchen, but was shorty interrupted by Zoro.

"Shut the fuck up, you stupid love cook." rage was filling Zoro's eyes, it took everything out of him not to start a fight with their cook.

"Don't disrespect me! I cook your goddamn food!" Sanji came closer to Zoro, wrapping his right hand around Zoro's neck.

"Stop, Sanji!" Robin screamed, she stood up and tried pushing him away from Zoro.

Zoro just stood there, and laughed "Just try and strangle me. You aren't that strong."

Sanji let go, and walked out the door "Why don't you just leave our crew. We could do a lot better without you!"

Zoro shook his head and sighed. "Im going back to Ume's dojo. Anywhere is better than here." He walked out of the kitchen, up to the main deck, and climbed down the rope ladder.

"I guess we will hafta clean without Zoro." Luffy sighed. He stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth, and walked up to the main deck.

A few moments later, Zoro walked back into the dojo.

"Wow, that was quick! How is the ship?" Ume looked up to Zoro, a bright smile formed across her face.

"It's damaged, but the crew is mad at me because I wasn't there to help them during the storm."

"Oh, i'm so sorry Zoro, its all my fault." Ume stood up, and walked over to him.

"Eh, don't worry about it. Helping you is more important now." He smiled to Ume, and noticed that she was blushing.

Ume looked away, and picked up an extra broom. "Here, we gotta get started, or things will never get done!"

Zoro picked up the broom, and looked back to Ume. 'Who needs the crew, Ume needs me more than them.' he thought to himself, as he began to sweep up piles of debris.

"Hey.. Zoro?" Ume looked towards the green haired swordsman.

"Yeah? What is it?" Zoro looked over to her, waiting for her to talk.

"I know this is none of my business, but when I was washing you up last night, I noticed a big scar on your chest.. You don't have to tell me, I know its none of my business, i'm just curious."

"Oh, I lost a battle-"

"Lost a battle? But why would anyone slice you in the chest?!" Ume seemed disgusted, and a little sympathetic.

"No, I asked for it. You see I was fighting Hawkeye-"

"Oh my god you fought him?!" She felt herself fade to pale.

"Yeah, and he was stronger than me at the time. And to make a long story short, I didn't want a wound on my back, because it would be a disrespect to me. So, he cut me in the chest."

"You are lucky to be alive, Zoro." she walked over to the windows, and began cleaning around the sills.

"Yeah, he didn't kill me, because I vowed that I would be back to beat him. But, I have other plans before that ever happens."

"Well, I am glad you are okay. I was worried last night that you would lose too much blood."

"I am Roronoa Zoro, I can never lose too much blood." He walked over and began helping her with the windows.

"So, those kids, I know they aren't yours, but you treat them like they are." Zoro looked over to Ume, and stopped what he was doing.

Ume continued her work, a smile still attached to her face. "Yeah, in a way, I treat them like my own. I wish I had my own kids, I guess its a dream I have. Besides, i'm only 19."

"Yeah, I can understand. I just turned 20, I feel like im growing older."

"Oh come on, you have a whole life to live!" She moved over to the next window.

"Yeah, I guess you are right. A family would be nice.." He picked up a huge shard of glass, and looked over to Ume. "Hey, at least this didn't end up in my arm!" he laughed, Ume soon following.

4 hours passed by, and the dojo was appearing cleaner and cleaner as each hour passed. The sun was soon setting, Soon the main dojo room was done, but they still had to fix the windows, and the roof.

"Let's call it a day, Zoro. I will go fix us dinner!" Ume walked to the back, Zoro followed.

"Thanks, I am starving!" Zoro sat down in the corner, and shut his eyes.

"Would you like to stay the night again?" She began placing fresh wood into the stove.

"Yeah, if that's ok. I really don't feel like dealing with the crew tonight."

"It's not a problem! You know you are always welcome here! Its the least I could do for paying you back for helping."

"You don't have to pay me back. I care for you, your dojo, and the kids education." he opened his eyes, and watched Ume build a fire.

"Again, I really appreciate your help. I was afraid I would have had to clean this whole place by myself!"

"A gorgeous woman like you should never clean alone." Zoro shut his eyes again, a smile forming across his face.

Ume blushed, and turned back to tend to the fire. "By the way, how are your arms feeling?"

"Better. They still hurt a little, but I can deal with it."

"Well, I need to change your bandages, and clean them." She placed a pot over the fire. She was going to surprise Zoro with stew.

"Alright, well until then, I think I'm going to take a bit of a nap."

"Alright, while you are doing that I'm going to go close the dojo windows." She walked out of the small room, and began closing every window, and then finished by locking the big sliding door. She returned to the room, and headed towards the stove.

"Why did you shut the place up? Isn't it only 5?"

"Yeah, but its going to storm again soon." She began pulling out certain vegetables out of the cupboard that she would need to prepare their dinner.

"But it was just sunny a second ago.. are you alright?" He opened his eyes and stood up. He walked towards the door.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just know that a storm is coming, thats all.." She began slicing up potatoes, celery, and bits of meat and added it to the boiling water over a fire stove.

Zoro sighed and sat back down. "Well, you are acting kinda weird. Its either you are afraid of storms-"

Ume sat her knife down, and listened to Zoro carefully.

"..Or you ate a devil fruit that allows you to detect natural disasters."

"You're wrong." She turned to him and smiled.

"Okay, about what." He crossed his arms and opened one eye.

"I don't detect natural disasters. Only storms."

"So, you did eat a devil fruit."

"Yeah, awhile ago when I was only 5. I found it in my mother and fathers room one day, and I thought it was just a normal fruit, until I began noticing that I could read a storm's path just a few hours before they would actually hit. It's kind of pathetic, but storms sorta frighten me. I'm getting a lot better however, I was just so young when I ate it."

"That's got to be rough for a 5 year old." Zoro opened his eyes fully, only to look at Ume.

"Yeah, 10 years later my mother and father were killed, and I have been on my own ever since." She turned back to her cooking, and began cleaning dishes.

"I'm really sorry to hear that, my parent's died too when I was young. I know what you are going through."

"Yeah, I miss them a lot, but I have grown into a woman now, and that was what my parents wanted more than anything. I was their only child, and they wanted me to always have a good life. They worked so hard for me, so now its my turn to work hard." She stood up and walked over to the cupboard and took out two soup bowls, and two spoons.

"Ah, something smells delicious.." Zoro opened his eyes and looked over to Ume.

"Well, I just had to pay you somehow!" She looked back to the stove, and then back to Zoro.

"Zoro?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for being a friend. Before I met you, I was always alone. I feel like I can talk to you about anything."

Zoro rubbed the back of his head, and looked down "You're welcome. That's what friend's are for, right..?" He could feel himself blushing. 'Cmon, Zoro. Keep it together, you are a tough, manly swordsman, there is nothing to blush about... she's just a really gorgeous girl, nothing else.'

"Right! Dinner's almost ready, probably in about 5 minutes."

"Need me to do anything?" He sat at a small table, waiting for her to join him.

Ume looked back to him and smiled sweetly."Don't ever change. You are perfect the way you are, no matter what your shipmates think." She sat an empty bowl in front of him.

Zoro blushed even darker. "Thanks Ume, You don't have to worry, I don't let people affect me."

"Well, I am just saying." She sat a bowl down on the table for herself, and turned back to the stove. She picked up the huge sauce pot with two green oven mitts. She carried over the savory stew, and sat it down on the table. She began ladling out the stew into Zoro's empty bowl. "Just tell me when to stop."

"Wow, this smells delicious!" He watched as she soon began to fill the bowl up completely. "Right there is fine." Ume stopped just half way. She began filling her own bowl.

Zoro began to dip his spoon into his stew, when Ume interrupted him. "Wait for it to cool down a little bit, I don't want you to burn yourself!" She took the now empty sauce pot back to the sink, and began filling it with water. After it was half full, she turned off the water, and walked back to her seat. She sat down and smiled at him. "Oh go ahead and eat, just eat slowly so you don't burn yourself!"

Zoro took a small sip of stew, and then looked up to Ume. "Wow, this is better than Sanji's food!"

"Who's Sanji?" She sipped at her stew and looked at Zoro, curious.

"Oh, he's our cook. His food is good, don't get me wrong, but yours is so much better!"

Ume blushed and looked down "Oh, stop. I'm not that great."

"You know, you really gotta start being more optimistic."

"I am optimistic." She sat down her soup, allowing it to cool down some more.

"Well, your food is amazing, seriously, take it from a man. We don't lie just like most people say. We do tell you the truth."

"And women tell the truth as well."

"Well then tell me one thing." Zoro looked at her, a small smirk formed across his face.

"What?"

"Do you ever plan on introducing me to your crew?"

((Thank you all so much for the faves and comments to my stories! it inspires me to keep writing!!!!!))


	5. Chapter 5

Zoro sat for a second, and let Ume's question sink in enough for him to understand fully.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt-"

"Oh! That's great! Why don't we go tonight?"

Zoro lifted his bowl to his mouth, and began drinking his dinner. Ume just at there, slowly spooning the stew to her mouth. She watched as Zoro soon sat the bowl down. "Your food really is better than Sanji's. Any man would kill to be with you." He laughed and then wiped his mouth with a cloth yellow napkin. Ume looked down to her stew and laughed softly. "Yeah, well, I 'm glad you like it." She sat down her spoon and stood up from the table. She smiled to Zoro "Let me start soaking the dishes, and then we can go meet your crew!" She took both of their plates over to the corner where the sink was. Zoro made his way over to the corner, and sunk his way down to the floor.

"So, can you tell me about them? I would like to know who I am meeting before I meet them, you know?" She looked back and smiled.

"Well, Luffy's the captain, he ate a devil fruit."

"Oh, really?" Ume stopped cleaning for a split second, only to hear Zoro go on.

"Yeah, he's a really great captain! The best around.. and then we have Nami, she's our Navigator. Oh, and then there is Usopp, who likes to call himself captain sometimes too. He's a big coward, but a really good guy. And then we have Chopper, he's a blue nosed caribou, and then there is Robin, she is our archaeologist. She's like an older sister to everyone.. And then, there is Sanji..."

"Oh yeah, you said that he is your cook?" She began drying her hands, and then walked over to where Zoro was sitting.

"Yeah, he's a major flirt. He's such a womanizer, he always flirts with Nami and Robin, and any girl he sees."

Ume held out her hand. Zoro looked up to her to see that she was smiling. "C'mon, I wanna meet them!"

Meanwhle, aboard the Going Merry...

"Sanji! I'm hungry!" Luffy whined as he walked into the kitchen.

"Ugh, Luffy! We just had dinner a half an hour ago! Go chill out somewhere on deck!"

"Fine.." Luffy made his way up to the deck, and up to his special spot. Robin and Nami were sitting at the nearest table. Nami was reading a map, and Robin was reading a book, like always. Chopper and Usopp were busy keeping watch up in the crow's nest.

"Hey, Chopper, does that look like someone coming towards our ship?" Usopp pointed his telescope down to the shore.

Chopper stood up and looked through his telescope. "Yeah, and there are two of them! One of them looks like... yes! It is him! Its Zoro!" Chopper sat his telescope down, and quickly made his way down the rope ladder.

Zoro helped Ume up the rope ladder, and soon enough, they were aboard the ship. Nami and Robin looked up, and jumped up in a hurry.

"Zoro! We were worried sick!" Robin ran over and hugged him. Zoro looked over to Ume, and sighed.

"I was just staying with Ume.."

Robin let go and stepped away. "Oh, is this Ume?" Robin smiled towards her, and stuck out her hand. "My name is Nico Robin, I am the archaeologist of this ship."

Ume shook her hand and smiled "I'm Ume, its very nice to meet you!" Nami walked up and shook her hand as well. Soon Ume was able to meet Chopper and Usopp, and soon Luffy, the captain.

"Nami! I made you a wonder fruit parfait!" Sanji made his way up on deck, and soon froze as soon as he saw Ume.

"Who is this gorgeous woman?!" He made his way over to Ume, still carrying the parfait cup. He took ahold of her right hand, and kneeled down. "My dear beautiful woman, please except this wonderful parfait cup as a warm welcome from yours truly?"

"You must be, Sanji, right?" Ume blushed softly.

"Why, yes!" Sanji's eyes formed hearts. He thew the parfait cup to the side, and Luffy managed to grab ahold of it. Zoro's face was turning deep red. Robin saw this happening, and she managed to pull Zoro aside. "Come on, we need to talk a little." She took him to the side of the ship.

"What is it, Robin." Zoro looked out to sea, with a very angered look across his face.

"You are jealous, aren't you."

"Whats it to you?"

"Zoro, Sanji's just doing it because he is Sanji. I wouldn't worry about it too much. And besides, we are going to have to stay here for at least a month, to a month-and-a-half. The ship took on a lot of damage, and you can't see much because it is dark."

Zoro looked back to Ume, and saw that Sanji was putting his arm around her, trying to guide her downstairs.

"That stupid love cook!" Zoro tried to go after them, but Robin stopped him by grabbing his wrist.

"You really do like her, don't you?"

Zoro stopped and sighed "Yeah."

"What is it do you like about her?" Robin leaned up against the ledge.

"Actually, everything. I've never really been with a girl before. Only have had them as friends. But Ume is different. When I got injured, she took care of me. She cooks the most outstanding food, and I feel so comfortable around her. And plus, she's a sword fighter. I feel so stupid opening up you."

"Zoro, I know you may look tough on the outside, but I know on the inside, you just want to be loved, and appreciated."

Zoro looked over and saw that Ume and Sanji were no where to be found.

"That son of a bitch!" Zoro stormed his way across the ship.

Meanwhile.. in the kitchen.

"So, Ume.." Sanji walked over to Ume with a cup of tea, and a small plate of cake. "Tell me about your life."

Zoro walked up to the kitchen door, and began to listen in.

"I own a dojo. But I don't understand why you would want to know about me."

"Its simple really, I think you are gorgeous, and the perfect woman for me."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I am not the one for you."

Zoro felt relieved as soon as he heard her say those words.

"Oh, don't tell me you are going after that stupid Zoro."

"For one, do not call him stupid. Zoro is caring, he helped me build my dojo back, and help me with my students. He has been there for me, and has been a friend to me, and has not tried to get in my pants, like you have been trying to do for the past 10 minutes!"

Zoro opened the door. Ume and Sanji both looked at him.

"Zoro-"

"C'mon Ume, we're going."

"Okay." Ume stood up and walked over to Zoro. They walked up to the top deck, and thanked everyone for visting. They made their way down the rope ladder, and back up the hill to the dojo. Halfway back, Zoro stopped.

"Zoro, whats wrong?"

"I heard what you said. I heard everything."

"Zoro.."

"Is it all true.."

Ume sighed "Of course it is Zoro, why would I lie about something like that?"

Zoro hugged her tightly. Ume gasped, and felt her heart skip a beat.

"You have helped me so much, and I have to say, that I am falling in love with you, each moment I see you."

Ume's eyes began to tear up. "Zoro.. I am falling in love with you as well."

Zoro bent his head down, and brushed his lips across hers, soon embracing her tight, and kissing her deeply.

Thunder was heard in the distant, Ume jumped and looked around. Zoro laughed softly, and took ahold of her right hand. "C'mon, lets get back to the dojo before it starts storming."

"It's going to be slightly severe.." Ume's hand tensed up.

"You ok?" Zoro looked down to her, feeling a little concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine.."

Soon they were back at the dojo. Zoro helped her lock up all the windows and doors. Ume went to the back, and pulled out a queen sized floor mattress, with two built in pillows. She got out a big comforter, and soon made the bed. Zoro walked in, and took off his boots.

"I'm sorry, I know its small, but it should work out for awhile.." Ume began to undress in the back, and change into her pajamas. Zoro took off his shirt, and went over to the bed to lay down. She turned off the lights, and then soon joined him, wearing her silky red pj's.

Zoro smiled up to her "Lookin' sexy.."

Ume blushed and pulled the covers over them both. "Thanks, I guess. I've never heard that from a guy, so I guess it will take a little bit of time to grow into."

"Well, its a good compliment. Trust me."

"Of course I trust you!" She smiled and then closed her eyes. "Goodnight Zoro."

"Goodnight Ume. Sweet dreams."

A couple hours had passed since the two of them laid down, Zoro was fast asleep, but Ume was wide awake. She could hear the storm closing in closer and closer. Soon, a big boom of thunder raddled the dojo. She closed her eyes tight, and turned to Zoro and began clinging to him. He woke up, and looked down to Ume, noticing that her eyes were clenched shut, and goosebumps were all over her arms. He wrapped his left arm around her body, and held her close.

"You okay now, Ume?"

"Y-yeah. I'm sorry I woke you up.." She closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

"You didn't wake me up, and don't be sorry. I'm here for you. I won't let anything hurt you."

_Zoro woke up, noticing that Ume wasn't by his side. He stretched his arms to the ceiling, and then rubbed his eyes. 'Was last night a dream? Or.. was it real?' He stood up and walked out into the main room of the dojo. He saw Ume, stretching on the floor, and he somehow felt relieved._

"_Good morning, Zoro." Ume looked up to him, and smiled. Zoro sat down on the ground, joining her in stretch._

"_You feeling any better?" He sat up straight, looking towards her._

"_Yeah, I'm really sorry that I woke you up."_

"_Don't worry about it, I don't like knowing that you are scared. The least I could do was comfort you."_

"_And you did. I felt safe when I was in your arms." She stood up, stretching high to the ceiling. Zoro stood up, and grabbed onto her hands. Ume blushed instantly, looking up to Zoro. His face moved closer to hers, soon their lips embracing, the kiss became more heated by the moment._

_Ume pulled away and looked down. _

"_Did I do something wrong?" Zoro looked confused, but was waiting for her explanation._

"_No, its just, I have never done anything sexual before."_

"_Neither have I." He bent down, brushing his lips across her neck. _

"Zoro? Zoro wake up! Its already noon!"

Zoro sat up quickly, noticing that he was still in the makeshift bed that Ume made for them the night before.

"It was a dream..." Zoro sighed and put his right hand to his forehead. "I just wish it was real."

"Wish what was real?" Ume walked over and smiled down to Zoro.

"Nothing, I just had a really good dream." He stood up and walked over to the window.

"Oh, Robin came over earlier. She wants to have a girl's day out I suppose. She wants you to come by as well." Ume began to fold up the blankets, and pack them away in the cabinet.

"What does she want with me?" Zoro asked confused, he strapped his swords onto his hip, and looked over to Ume.

"I don't know, but it would be nice if you went with me." She gave him a sweet smile, and slipped on some shoes. "Come on, she's waiting for us." She grabbed Zoro's hand, and lead him out the door, and towards the ship.

Meanwhile:

Robin made her way downstairs into the kitchen. "Sanji, can I ask you a favor?"

"What is it, my darling Robin chwaan?" He walked over to her, taking her hand and placing a kiss in the middle of her hand.

"Look, Ume and Zoro are coming over. I thought it was time that we set them up for a date."

"Okay I see where this is going Robin, but no thank you. I am not working with that bastard."

"If you do, I will be your slave for a night." She stroked his chin with her index finger. A wink sent shivers up his spine.

"Okay, anything for you Robin! What exactly would you like me to do?"

"Well, I was thinking, how about a nice dinner, candle-light, the whole shabang. But, you cannot bad-talk Zoro. I want this to work out for them. Zoro really likes Ume, but we all know that he won't ever get into a relationship unless he gets a little help from his friends.."

"Ah sweet sweet Robin. You are the caring person that everyone loves.. especially me." He kissed her cheek, and saw Robin form a smile across her face.

Zoro and Ume soon made their way up the ship. Robin walked up to the main deck to meet them "Ah, Zoro! Ume! Nice to see you! Ume, Nami's waiting for you downstairs in the girl's room."

"Um, okay thanks Robin!" Ume made her way downstairs, confused about the whole situation.

"Robin, whats going on? Something seems weird.." Zoro looked around, expecting to see something strange.

"Look Zoro, I know you like Ume. That's why Nami and I are setting you up with a date."

"A date?! Robin are you crazy?! She doesn't like me like that!"

"How do you know, Zoro? I mean come on! The girl's been letting you live with her."

"Yeah its because i'm her friend." Zoro sat down and sighed. "Seriously, This is a bad idea."

"Well, I already sat it up. Sanji's cooking you dinner."

"That washed up love cook?!" Zoro's face turned red with anger.

"Hey! He agreed to not bad-talk you. Now you can't bad talk him!" Robin sighed and walked towards the stairs. "Now if you excuse me, I need to explain whats happening to Ume."

"She doesn't know yet..." Zoro sighed and closed his eyes. "Wow. This is going to turn out great.." He said in a sarcastic tone.

"Aren't you going to get ready?" Robin looked back, confused.

"Why should I? If she likes me, she won't care." He yawned and fell asleep. On this note, Robin walked down to the girl's room. Ume was sitting in a chair, in front of a tall-standing mirror. Nami was behind her, brushing her long purple hair.

"Um, What is going on, Robin? Nami won't tell me."

"Well, I figured we would give you a make over for your date!"

"My what?! But I was never told about this!" Ume tried to stand up, but Nami pushed her gently back down into the chair.

"Don't you like Zoro?" Robin looked through her closet, picking out cute outfits.

"Well, yeah but he doesn't like me. We are just friends, that's all." Ume sighed, and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Well, he's up for it. Apparently he does like you.." Robin got on her knees and began to search through her pile of shoes.

"And besides Ume, you are gorgeous! We all know that Zoro has a thing for you." Nami began applying eyeshadow to Ume's eyelids. Robin brought over a dark-green strapless cocktail dress, with matching shoes.

"The real fun begins." Robin strapped the shoes onto Ume's feet. She helped Ume stand up, and undress for her new outfit.


	6. Chapter 6

So I am already at chapter 6, and I have so much to add to the story! I am so happy that everyone is enjoying my story! Your comments inspire me more and more everyday! Thank you so much!!!!

STOP! Before you read, you should know that this chapter is NSFW. It contains a lot of sexual content. So, LEMON LEMON LEMON!!!!!!!

"Alright Ume, come over here." Robin helped Ume walk over the room's biggest mirror. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah, why do you guys think I have never worn high heels before?" Ume looked in the mirror, noticing her green high heels completed with a black ribbon.

"We didn't say that, did we?" Nami smiled as she brought over a corset "Here, we need to put this on her."

"Why! I'm not at all fat!" Ume looked down at herself, as Nami began to strap it around her.

"No no, the point is to smooth out and give you a bit of cleavage." Robin pointed out, soon coming back with a strapless green cocktail dress, with a black ribbon completed in a bow across the mid-section. "Slip this on."

Ume grabbed ahold of the dress, and put it on over her head. She looked in the mirror and back to Robin.

"I think it looks great. Especially with the shoes." Nami said as she began playing with Ume's hair.

"I agree. And see, you have cleavage. Big time." Robin took Ume's hand and lead her over to the bed. "Now its time for your hair. I'm going to let Nami take care of this while I go check on the boys." She turned around and walked out the door, and into the guy's cabin room.

She saw Zoro standing on a crate, while Sanji straightened out his tux.

"Wow! Zoro you look great with a tux on!" Robin walked over and looked at him from the front. Zoro sighed and looked down "This thing is completely miserable."

"Oh quit complaining Zoro, she is right after all." Sanji looked over to Robin, with hearts in his eyes.

"So.. how is Ume doing with handling this.." Zoro looked down to Robin once more, but this time was completely serious.

"She's excited, Zoro. It's no hiding it, she DOES like you." Ume sat down on the nearby bed.

Zoro blushed a little, and a small smile formed across his face.

"And I can tell that you like her as well." Robin smirked, closing her eyes.

"Oh yeah, we can all see it." Sanji stood up and walked around Zoro. "Well, you are good to go. I need to go check on Usopp and Chopper. They are supposed to be cleaning and prepping vegetables for dinner."

"Thanks, Sanji." Zoro looked over to Robin, only to see that she was still smiling.

"Um, your welcome, Zoro. See you guys later." Sanji quickly walked out of the room, and down another short staircase.

"So..Zoro.. Are you going to stay with Ume." Robin's smile faded.

"Robin, why do you ask me that?"

"Because, you like her, obviously, and she likes you. And she teaches those little kids, and they already have a small bond with you."

"Robin, I haven't seen the kids in almost 2 weeks, we had to shut the dojo down so we could fix the windows and clean up the place."

"But you will stay, won't you.."

"I don't know just yet. Don't tell anyone else, alright?" He stepped down from the crate, and walked over to her.

Her eyes started to tear up. "I'm not upset at you, Zoro. I know you really care for her. But just don't hurt her. She's a sweet girl. So whatever you do.."

"I would never even think of hurting her. Ever." He bent down and hugged Robin. She gasped, as she was being pulled in.

"Thank you, Robin. For actually believing in me." He stood up and walked towards the door.

"You're welcome, Zoro. I'll be up in a little bit, I need to go check on Ume." She got up and walked to the door, walking past Zoro, and over into the next room.

"All done!" Nami smiled to Robin.

"Where is she?" Robin looked around, completely confused on what was going on.

"Come on out, Ume." Nami looked back to the big closet on the opposite side of the room, and Ume opened the door, walking out to reveal herself. Her soft, purple hair was halfway pulled back, curls tumbled over her shoulders.

"She looks gorgeous Nami! Great job!" Robin stated as she circled Ume.

"How's Zoro..?" Ume said softly, blushing a bit.

"He looks really good." Robin winked to Ume, only to see that she would blush more.

"Come on, its time for you to go up!" Nami took her left hand, while Robin took her right.

"I don't know if im rea-" Ume began to say as she was being gently forced out the door.

"Don't be silly, you look great!" Nami began walking up the stairs, while Robin walked behind Ume, making sure she wasn't going to escape.

Nami reached the top deck, looking over seeing a table with a white cloth draped over. A single candle was lit and sitting right in the middle. Zoro was sitting at the table, his eyes were closed."

"Zoro! Are you ready for dinner?" Nami called out, looking back at Ume.

Zoro opened his eyes up, and looked over to Nami. "Where's Ume?"

Nami moved aside, revealing Ume behind her.

Zoro's eyes widened. He slowly got up and walked over to her, his mouth slightly agaped.

Ume smiled soflty, as Zoro approached her and took her hands.

"You look dashing, Zoro."

"You look amazing Ume! Wow I mean, Thank you." He blushed and looked away quickly but looked back at Ume after a moment, noticing that she was still smiling brightly.

"Thank you, Zoro. Let's go enjoy our dinner."

"Alright!" Zoro lead her over to the table, pulling out her seat.

Ume blushed and sat down "Thank you Zoro, that was really sweet."

Zoro sat down across from her, still smiling. "It's not a problem!"

they both picked up their menus, looking through Sanji's handwritten recipe outlines.

"I honestly don't know what to get. It all looks really good." Ume kept looking back and forth through the 3 pages.

"Yeah, Sanji is a really good cook. Practically everything he fixes is really good!"

"Well in that case, I think I will have the Assorted seafood bisque." Ume closed her menu and looked at Zoro. He closed his menu and smiled "I think I will get that as well."

Sanji soon walked out to the deck, and began walking towards the table. He smiled brightly at Ume, but stopped himself from saying anything to her.

"Have you all decided what you would like to eat?" Sanji took out a little pad of paper and a pen.

"We have decided that we will both have the seafood bisque" Zoro handed Sanji their two menus and smiled.

"Thats a wonderful choice, I will be back in a few moments with your meal!" He turned around and walked back down to the kitchen.

"So.. Zoro.. I was thinking." Ume smiled, looking towards the green haired swordsman.

"Yeah?" he looked up and his eyes met with hers.

"I want to extend the dojo. I want to have my own separate room, my own separate kitchen and bathroom.. I feel so crowded in there."

"That can be arranged, I can help!" He smiled to Ume, as he watched her face brighten up.

"Would you really?!" Ume blushed softly and her facial expression instantly turned into surprise.

"Well of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Well, I know that you are apart of this crew.. And I know that adding on rooms with take a good 2 months.. I don't want to take you away from your dream."

Zoro took her hands into his, and looked deep into Ume's eyes. "This is my dream. Ume, before I met you, I had a dream where we saved you from the ocean. It was the most wonderful dream that when I woke up, I was so depressed because it was just a dream. And then I met you.. Ever since, I have been the happiest man alive. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just didn't want you to think awkwardly of me."

"Zoro I would never think bad of you, That is such a wonderful story and I'm so glad that it became a reality. Before I met you I was struggling with teaching the kids, and keeping up with the dojo. Ever since I lost my parents I felt incomplete somehow. But when I did meet you, everything changed for the better, and now I know I am no longer missing anything from my life."

"Ume.. I-"

"Alright dinner is served!" Sanji walked out to the table carrying a tray in his left hand with two big bowls of seafood bisque. He had a pitcher of water, a bottle of wine, and the appropriate glasses for each. He served them their meal, and began pouring each of them a tall glass of wine. "You two enjoy!" He walked away, carrying the empty tray.

"This looks great! I have never drank any alcohol in my life.." She stared at the glass of wine.

"Oh, you will like it. It takes awhile but the bad taste will go away." He began to eat his big bowl of bisque. Ume picked up the wine glass and took a sip.

"Not bad, its actually really good!" She drank a little more and then began eating her portion of bisque. Her eyes widened as soon as she took the first bite. "Wow! This is amazing!"

"I agree, its hearty and filling at the same time." Zoro took a sip of his wine and sat the glass back down. "The wine is paired perfectly."

30 minutes passed and the two had already finished their meals. They were enjoying the sun set, while talking about anything and everything. The candle in the center of the table soon went out, and they decided it was time to go. They soon said their thanks to everyone, and soon began to walk towards the dojo. Zoro was holding onto Ume's hand.

"The stars are out! Its so gorgeous!" Ume looked up to the sky, a bright smile formed across her face.

"Not as gorgeous as you." Zoro looked down to Ume, and a smile soon formed across his face.

"Zoro?"

"What is it?" He said as he paid more attention to her.

"What were you saying before our food came out?"

"What do you mean?"

"You acted like you were about to say something, and then our food arrived and you stopped."

"Oh, that. Its just something special."

Ume laughed softly "You know you can tell me!"

"I love you, Ume." His face was serious, he took ahold of her other hand and stared deep into her eyes.

"Zoro.. I love you too."

The two leaned in to soon share a passionate kiss. The full moon shone down upon them.

"Zoro.." Ume said softly, as their lips soon parted.

"Yeah?"

"I have never wanted someone as much as I want you now..." She blushed deeply, and saw a smirk form across Zoro's face.

"Oh that CAN be arranged. Lets get back to the dojo." Zoro scooped Ume up in his arms, and began walking back to the dojo.

They soon made it back, Zoro slid open the dojo door as fast as he could. He began kissing all over Ume's neck, hearing her moan with each kiss he delivered. He closed the door behind them, and he took her to the back room and laid her on the rug. He began kissing down her neck gently. Ume ran her fingers through Zoro's short green spiky hair. Before she knew it, her dress was pulled halfway down, and Zoro was kissing down her stomach.

"Zoro.." Ume moaned softly as she soon let go of his head.

"What is it?" Zoro lifted his head and looked at her.

"I've never done this before.." She closed her eyes, hoping she wasn't blushing.

"Neither have I. I promise I will be as gentle as possible." He took off his tux jacket, and began unbuttoning his white undershirt. Ume leaned up and began sliding off her shirt, revealing her matching pink panties and bra. She gently threw herself onto Zoro, and began kissing on his neck. His arms fell backwards, as he positioned himself comfortably. He moaned loud and closed his eyes.

"You have no idea how long I have been dreaming of this.." He whispered into her ear.

Ume reached down his pants, and began feeling his throbbing hard cock. She gasped softly "You are so big.."

Zoro smirked and reached up to feel her large breasts "And these are just equally big." He reached behind and unhooked her bra, letting it fall to the ground. At that very moment, he leaned in and began sucking her left breast, while gently massaging the other. He could hear Ume's soft little moans, and he could feel her tensing up.

"Whats wrong Ume? Your tensing up a lot."

"It just feels so good."

Zoro laid her down gently, and began kissing down towards her hips. He slid off her panties and continued kissing around her abdomen. He soon stood up, and slid his own pants off, revealing his hard throbbing cock.

"Its bigger than what I imagined.." Ume sat up and took his dick into her soft hands. She began licking his hard shaft up and down, looking up every once in awhile, seeing Zoro's expressions change with time. He moaned loudly and put his hands on the back of her head. Ume took him into her mouth, and began sucking him fast, while her tongue stroked up and down his long shaft. Zoro's moans became louder and louder. Finally, he slid himself out of her mouth, and laid Ume down once again.

He spread her legs wide, positioning himself to enter her gently.

Ume closed her eyes tightly, expecting it to hurt only for a few moments. Zoro slid into her slowly, shivers went up his spine, as he felt her tight pussy around his long shaft. Ume let out a small scream, but cupped her hands over her mouth. After a few moments of pumping softly, Ume removed her hands from her mouth and moaned loudly with each pump.

"Z-Zoro! Please, fuck me faster.."

Zoro leaned down and kissed her softly "My pleasure." He soon began thrusting in and out of her, going as fast as he could. He could hear both of them moaning with pleasure. She felt so good, so tight, he could barely control himself.

"Ume.. Ume!" Zoro moaned loudly, and soon slid out of her. She leaned up, and gently pushed him down, soon getting on top of him, and riding his thick cock as fast as she could bounce.

"Oh God Ume!" Zoro reached her soft, round tits and began to suck on her nipples. She leaned down and began to suck on his neck.

"Z-Zoro! Im coming! Im Coming!!!" She moaned loudly and fell on top of him. She felt him grab ahold of her hips, and began pounding her harder.

"Yeah Ume, cum all over my hard dick.."

"Zoro, I want you to cum inside me.."

"Ume, are you sure?" Zoro looked at her surprised, and slowed up his thrusts.

She nodded softly and buried her face into the crook of his neck. She felt him pumping faster, and she could hear his moans progress throughout the moments. Soon she felt his cock grow bigger, and soon heard him scream her name.

"Ume! Im coming! Im coming in your tight pussy!!!" Sweat dripped down his face, as he began quickening the pace, dumping his load inside of her. Soon he stopped. His breathing grew heavy, as he soon sat up, pulling her off of him.

"That was so great Zoro..." Ume breathed. She wiped the sweat from his forehead, and leaned in to share a kiss with him.

"You were great, Ume. That felt so wonderful, Your body is completely breathtaking." He pulled her into his arms, and hugged her gently. She laid her head on his chest, and closed her eyes.

"Zoro?"

"Yeah, whats up babe?"

"Please don't ever leave me.."

"I don't plan on it." he kissed her forehead and smiled. "I love you Ume."

"And I love you, Zoro. Let me get the bed ready, and we can cuddle a bit."

"Sounds great to me!" He stood up and helped her up as well. She walked over to the cabinet and pulled out the blankets, the sheets, and the pillows. She made their cozy bed for the night. She got underneath the covers, soon Zoro joined her, bringing her in close to his body.

"Who needs clothes when I can keep you warm." Zoro joked.

"I agree with you." She nuzzled her face into his chest and looked up to him.

"Let's get some sleep. We need to start building onto our dojo tomorrow."

Ume's eyes widened. "You said 'our dojo'...."

"Yeah, im sorry if you dont want me to say i-"

"No, Zoro.. that makes me so happy.." Tears began to form in her eyes. "This is your home."

"Thank you Ume, You have made me the happiest man in the world." He kissed her forehead, and watched as she closed her eyes.

"I can't wait until we get the dojo done." She sighed happily.

"Me either, my love."


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Ume woke up noticing that Zoro had his arms wrapped around her. She sighed happily and whispered softly into his ear. "Good morning Zoro."

Zoro's eyes instantly opened, he smiled to Ume and whispered back "Good morning Ume. Did you sleep well?"

"I did, the best I have ever slept!"

"Same here. So, whats on the agenda today?"

"Well, I was thinking we could get things ready to add on to the Dojo, how does that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan." He smiled and brushed a piece of stray hair away from her delicate face. "I was thinking, maybe we could get my crew to help. With their help, it will get done twice as fast!"

Ume smiled and nodded "I agree, we must ask them!" She jumped out of bed, and froze.

"Whats wrong Ume?"

"Its freezing... Winter time is approaching."

"What are you talking about? Isn't this a tropical island?" Zoro got out of bed, and walked out into the dojo. The air was colder than it was yesterday.

"It is.. but like other islands, storms, and seasons pass through. Luckily, Winter only lasts for a few weeks."

"...a few weeks. Like how long.." Zoro turned to look at her, disappointment formed across his face.

"Up to 2 months, im afraid." Ume walked over to him and looked out the window. Tiny snowflakes fell from the gray sky above. "We will have to wait until winter passes to fix up the Dojo." She looked up to Zoro, with disappointment.

"Its alright Ume, I can talk the others to stay for another couple of months.. hopefully they will listen."

"I thought you were staying with me though.." Ume's voice rang with hurt.

"I plan on it. I haven't exactly told the crew yet. They aren't going to be happy about it. But they know I really care for you, so you never know.. it may be easier than we think."

"I'm really sorry Zoro. I don't want to take you away from your dreams."

Zoro hugged Ume close to his chest. "No, don't be sorry. This is my decision. And besides, who says I can't fulfill my dreams here?"

Ume looked up to him, and smiled. "Only if you are 100% okay with staying here.."

"Are you kidding? I am 150% sure!" He kissed Ume on her forehead.

Meanwhile, on the Going Merry.

"Whoa! Snow!" Chopper exclaimed. He climbed down the ladder from the crow's nest, and ran into the bedroom where everyone was asleep.

"YOU GUYS! ITS SNOWING!!!!" Chopper shouted, a huge grin formed across his face.

Luffy sat up quickly and jumped out of bed. "No way! I thought this island was tropical!"

"Ugh, Chopper.. Luffy.. I'm trying to sleep." Sanji put his pillow over his head, and curled back up into his blankets.

"C'mon Sanji! This calls for a special breakfast!" Luffy turned back to look at Sanji's bed.

"In a little bit. Let me sleep some more, for the love of God."

"Well, someone's not excited about snow." Usopp soon appeared besides Luffy. Robin and Nami soon joined.

"I wonder how Zoro's taking this cold weather." Robin laughed softly, as all 5 of them walked to the top of the deck, only to be greeted by bigger snowflakes falling from the sky.

"Its amazing!" Nami exclaimed. "Now I can wear my cute coat that I bought a couple of months back!"

"You mean the one that cost you 10 thousand berries?" Robin smiled deviously as she looked over to Nami.

"Of course!" Nami walked over to her table where her navigating gear was sitting. Robin soon joined her.

Usopp and Chopper made their way back up the crow's nest ladder. Chopper took out a telescope and pointed it out to sea.

"Hmm. I see a ship!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Where? I don't see it.." Usopp stood up and looked out to sea.

"Its still far away, but it looks like its going to port at the other end of the island. Thats all I can tell. It has a blue sail, but there are no markings.."

"Its probably nothing, Chopper." Usopp sat back down and closed his eyes.

Usopp was wrong. The ship belonged to a pirate with spiked blue hair. He wore a black trench coat with the kanji "cold" on his back. He sat in a big chair in his log room, looking at a map.

"Captain Kozakura! We have reached the island!" A man with green hair exclaimed.

"Alright Kogin, Make sure to tell the others to dock there. I am going to have to collect a lot of bounties." He looked through a pile of Wanted posters, soon coming across Luffy's, Zoro's, Sanji's and the rest of the crew. "Strawhat Pirates.. Each one of you is worth so much, I would never have to hunt again!"

Back at the dojo...

Zoro slipped on a clean shirt, pants, and combed his hair nicely. "I think i'm going to go visit the others, Do you want to come with me?"

"It sounds like fun, but no thank you. I was going to fix a big dinner for you tonight! And besides I need to go to the store." Ume slipped on a pair of dark jeans, along with a light blue sweater. She slipped on some furry snow boots, and stood up to face Zoro.

"Alright, well how about we walk together? The store is on the way to the ship!"

"Sounds good to me." Ume grabbed Zoro's hand, and lead both of them out the door and on their way.

The snow was continuing to come down. Soft snow covered the tops of houses, and trees. Ume looked up to Zoro and frowned "Do you not have any warm items?"

"Nah, I'll be okay though. I promise." He smiled bravely to Ume.

"Well, I am going to get you a nice surprise. You will get it when you get home."

Soon they arrived at the grocery store. Zoro let go and gave Ume a kiss and a hug goodbye.

"Just please be careful going back to the dojo. Especially if it is dark outside." Zoro looked deep into Ume's eyes.

She smiled and hugged him back tightly. "I promise Zoro! You have fun with the crew!" She walked inside of the store, soon fading into the isles.

Zoro continued walking towards the shore where the ship was docked. The wind began to pick up stronger, as the sky began to grow darker. He began climbing up the rope ladder, really hoping that his talk with his crew mates was going to be easy. He finally made it up to the top deck. There were lights on, but no one was sitting outside. He walked downstairs to the kitchen, where everyone sat at a table. It looked like dinner had just ended for them.

"Hey! Its Zoro! What are you doing back here?" Luffy stood up from his seat and ran over to the green haired swordsman.

"Well, I was hoping I could talk to you all." He pulled out a chair and sat down, soon clasping his hands together.

Robin looked at Nami, Worry began to flow through her mind.

Sanji exhaled a huge cloud of smoke. He held onto his cigarette and looked to Zoro. "What, did you get the girl pregnant?"

"N-No thats not it..." Zoro glared at Sanji, trying to keep his cool.

"Look, its really hard for me to talk to you guys, even though you are all my best friends. We arrived here about, 4 weeks to a month ago, and well.. I call this place 'Home'. Ume invited me into her home, she took care of me when I got badly injured from that storm, and she really needs help with the Dojo and with the kids.."

"Wait, Zoro what are you saying? What about going with us and fulfilling your dreams?" Chopper's eyes widened, and began to fill with tears.

"But see thats the thing, I will be fulfilling my dream. For real. You see, only Robin knows about this, but before we came to this island I dreamed of meeting Ume, and when I awoke and realized it was just a dream, I was really lost. But when we came to this island, I met her. Its been the best month I have ever had in my whole life. She really needs my help.."

"No, you can't lea-" Nami stood up, slamming her fist on the table. Luffy's hand shot out and held Nami's hand down. His eyes were dark.

"Nami, there is no need for that. We can't force Zoro to stay with us. Its his life." Luffy stood up, and walked towards the door. "Just leave, Zoro. Don't ever look back, either."

Ume was walking down the last isle, picking up fresh produce for her and Zoro's dinner. She saw a tall man with a black trench coat walk inside. He walked straight up to the cash register. She stood right behind him, reading the kanji on his back.

"Excuse me, have you seen these pirates?" He showed the clerk a picture of everyone in the Strawhat crew. Ume happened to see Zoro's picture, and instantly froze. Fear fell deep in her heart.

'Why would they be looking for Zoro?! I've got to find Zoro and tell him..'

"Actually, I have seen the Strawhat guy. He has come in here looking for large supplies of meat lately." The clerk looked closely at Luffy's poster, and handed it back to the strange man.

The man bowed to him and walked out of the grocery store, without another sound. Ume laid her grocery basket onto the counter, and watched the clerk slowly ring up her groceries. As soon as he was done, she threw him the exact amount that was due, and rushed out of the store. Her main focus was walking straight up the path, and back to the Dojo. She promised Zoro that she wouldn't wonder anywhere else.

As soon as she got home, she walked to the back room, and sat the bags of groceries on a small table.

"Ah, I see. He is not here after all."

Ume turned around quickly. Her arm hit one of the bags and sent it falling to the ground. She saw the same guy that was in the grocery store, standing right in front of her. He had blue spiky hair, a scar across his left cheek. He was tall, and wore a long black trench coat with the kanji "Cold" on the back. He held out his hand, his hand erect.

"Who are you. This is a private place, get out!" Her eyes were narrow, she took a couple of steps back.

"Freeze!" The man shouted. The air grew cold, Ume couldn't move, no matter how hard she tried.

"I heard you talking to yourself in the grocery store.. Zoro eh? Would it be this Zoro?" He took out the poster, with Zoro's face printed on it. Ume felt her eyes tear up. Her body may have been frozen, but her emotions still reacted like a normal person.

"Leave him alone, he hasn't done anything to you!" She felt tears run down her cheeks.

"I can't promise you that." He walked up to her. He was holding a thick white strand of rope. He began to tie up her wrists and ankles. He drug her to the Dojo, throwing her to the ground. "Now sit there. Hopefully that son of a bitch will be here soon. And don't say anything, or I will kill you, and him together."

Meanwhile..

Once he heard Luffy say those final words, Zoro jumped up from the chair, ran up to the deck, and down the ladder. He began feeling tears build up, but he knew he couldn't cry.

"Ume needs me more anyways." He made his way back to the dojo, except he was being followed.

"I'm not going to let you be upset about this, Zoro.." Robin said softly, hoping that Zoro would not hear.

Zoro soon made his way to the main doors to the dojo. He noticed a light on inside, his heart jumped knowing that Ume got home safely. He walked inside, and heard soft sobbing. He looked straight in front of him and saw Ume tied up. He ran over to her, rage was swimming through his veins.

"Ume! What happened?! Who did this to you?!" He began messing with the ropes around her wrists.

"Zoro.. you have got to get out of here. Please."

"Ume, I don't understand, nor will I leave! I want to know whats going on!"

Ume looked up, her eyes widened. "ZORO LOOK OUT!"

He turned around. He felt a strong sting across his right cheek, as he fell to the ground. He stood back up on his two feet, and rubbed his hand against his wound. He noticed that he was bleeding, and noticed that there were 3 wounds present.

"Get up and fight, Roronoa Zoro." the man stood in front of him, holding his hand out in front of him. His fingertips were dark blue, and pointed, almost like icicles.

"Ah, you know my name. May I ask how?" Zoro began unsheathing his swords, and was ready for a battle.

The man held out a poster, showing his face. He just saw Zoro laugh, and then wipe his cheek again. "Yeah, thats no news to me, buddy. I have been wanted for awhile. But why do you have to drag Ume into this?! She didn't do anything to you!" he ran towards the man, his swords were ready to slash the enemy.

"Frozen slash!" The man shouted. A streak of blue daggers headed towards Zoro, he blocked them and looked back at the damaged Dojo wall.

"You ate a devil fruit."

"The Freeze Freeze fruit."

"So are you the reason the weather changed?" Zoro untied his bandana from his arm, and tied it upon his head.

"Actually no, that was just coincidence. I am Captain Kozakura of the Frost pirates. I have come for your bounty, Roronoa Zoro!"

"Never heard of you, and you will never capture my bounty!" He ran towards the man, ready to attack. "Oni.. GIRI!" He swung his swords, not feeling any hits. Kozakura just stood back and laughed. "Are you really the fierce pirate hunter? You have got to be kidding me!" He pulled out a section bo-staff with sharpened ends. "Let's battle this out like real men. If you win, the girl goes free and so will you. And if you lose, then I kill you."

"Sounds pretty fair to me. Lets go!"

While the fight was only just beginning, Robin soon made her way to one of the Dojo windows. She peered inside, and couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Oh Zoro..You won't be fighting alone." Robin turned around, and ran straight back to the Going Merry.

To all of my wonderful fans:

Thank you so much for reading my fanfic. Each comment I get is more motivation to write more! I am very sorry that this chapter took forever and a day to get published w I have been having brain blocks, and classes are getting quite difficult. I hope you enjoy, many more chapters will be coming soon!


	8. Chapter 8

Robin soon reached the Going Merry, not hesitating to climb up the rope ladder. She ran straight downstairs to the kitchen, only to be right about everyone being in the kitchen.

"Robin, where did you go? And why do you look so upset?" Sanji walked up to her, holding a mug of hot tea.

"Not now Sanji, Zoro and Ume are in trouble! Some guy broke into the dojo, and tied Ume up, and now Zoro's fighting alone and this guy is really dangerou-"

"Who cares, he has already left our crew." Sanji turned back around, setting the mug of tea on the table. Nami looked up to Sanji, her face showed much disgust towards his actions. "What is wrong with you Sanji?!"

"He's right, Nami. Zoro left our crew. Its up to him to fend for himself." Usopp sat down a cup of water, and soon crossed his arms.

"What is wrong with you guys?! Luffy! Please tell me that you will help."

"Sanji and Usopp are right. Zoro's on his own now." Luffy stood up, and turned his back towards Robin.

"Luffy.. you too?! This isn't fair you guys, Zoro's always been there for both of you! Think of Ume, its not her fault she got captured! You both are being selfish! And you, Sanji.. Although you and Zoro butt heads a lot, doesn't mean he hates you! You know for a fact that he would help every one of us if we were in trouble!"

"Fine. I guess I can help you, Robin.. But its for You. And Ume. I'm not doing this to help Zoro's sorry ass." He put a cigarette in between his lips, and soon lit it with a match.

"I'm in as well. Nami, Usopp, Chopper, watch the ship. Chances are, this guy probably has crew mates."

Meanwhile..

Zoro was dodging Kazakura's moves left and right.

"Well, you are putting up quite a challenge." Zoro raced towards Kazakura, his katanas crossed. "TIGER.."

"Pathetic. Three sword style, give me a break." Kazakura gripped onto his spiked bo-staff, and waited for Zoro to get closer.

"TRAP!" Zoro zipped right past him, leaving a cloud of dust behind him. "There's no way he withstood that.." He soon felt a sharp pain shoot across his back. He stumbled to the ground, soon getting right back up and fighting the pain. He looked up towards Kazakura, and noticed that his bo staff was gone. Instead he was holding a sword that seemed to be made of ice.

"Zoro! You're hurt!" Ume started to squirm around, trying to break free of the ropes.

"And as for you.." Kazakura made his way towards Ume at a fast pace. He prepared himself for a hard swing, focusing on Ume's frightened image.

Ume closed her eyes tight "PLEASE! STOP IT!" she screamed. She heard a high pitched scream, and soon opened her eyes. Zoro jumped in front of her to protect her from being slashed to ribbons.

"Zoro! But why?!"

"You can push me around, you can cut me up to pieces, but you will never hurt Ume, and I will make sure of that." Zoro's eyes were reddened with anger. He stood up, seeing how bad his wound actually was. Blood was beginning to soak through his shirt, he had another on his chest.

"What is it with all the bad guys trying to cut up my chest. Don't they realize that I am hard to get rid of?" he looked towards Kazakura, his swords were gripped in both of his hands, and in his mouth.

"Come on, lets go. My swords will defeat any puny ice sculptures that you can make."

Soon, there was a loud bang, and everyone's attention was directed towards the front door of the dojo. Sanji, Robin and Luffy soon walked in.

"We aren't going to let you fight alone, Zoro. " Robin stepped forward, Sanji and Luffy soon followed behind.

"Oh? You brought me more toys to play with.." Kazakura smirked, and then let out an evil laugh.

"We are not toys, and we are going to kick your ass!" Luffy began to hit his fists together. "GUM GUM ROCKET!"

Kazakura dodged the attack like it was nothing. "Such a pain."

Sanji snuck over towards Ume, and began working at the ropes that were around her wrists.

"I thought we made a deal, Zoro. The girl stays here or she dies!" He ran towards Sanji and Ume with the sword made of hard ice. Zoro ran in front of him, blocking his frozen blade with his own.

"SANJI. GET HER OUT OF HERE!" Zoro struggled to hold Kazakura back.

Sanji looked to Ume, and then back to Zoro. "Alright I-"

"No Zoro! I can't leave you! Please!" Sanji stood up quickly, scooping Ume up into his arms. She began to squirm around, hoping to break free from Sanji's arms.

"Please Ume, you have to. Leave the fighting to us." Zoro looked back at her and smiled. "Don't worry about me. Please just be strong.."

Ume began to cry. She shook her head and continued the squirming.

"Sanji.. Please keep her safe. I will never forgive you if something happens to her."

Sanji nodded and soon ran out the door, still holding Ume into his arms.

"LETS FINISH THIS, KAZAKURA!" Zoro stood in a perfect attack position, waiting for whatever was going to be thrown at him.

Sanji continued to run back to the ship, no matter how much Ume begged to be taken back to help Zoro.

"Please Sanji, I can't leave him alone to do this!"

"You have to Ume, You will be killed if you stay there."

"No! I can't let him do things alone! I can't leave him!"

"Exactly. You can't leave him." What would of happened if that guy killed you?! Do you think it would of solved anything? Zoro would be devastated. He's doing this for you, Ume."

Ume wiped her eyes, and sighed "Please Sanji..."

"I can't let you go back Ume.. I promised Sanji." Sanji soon reached the rope ladder to the ship. He began to climb it, while still holding onto Ume. As soon as they reached the deck, Chopper, Nami and Usopp ran up to them. Sanji soon let Ume down, soon cutting off her ropes. As soon as she was free, she tried her best to get away from the group. She soon realized, that her plan had already failed, when she felt Sanji's hand around her wrist.

"Please Sanji im begging you, I need to go back."

"No Ume! For the last time, I cannot let you go! I really hate to do this but, Chopper? Do you have any tranquilizers? We can't let her get into any danger."

"Well, yeah but it only lasts for about an hour or so-"

"No! No way in hell am I going to be tranquilized!" Ume tried to struggle away from Sanji's grasp.

"Chopper! We need it now!"

Chopper took out a ready to use syringe with tranquilizer from a side pocket. He took off the cap and managed to stick her in the leg. Ume soon fell into Sanji's arms.

"I'm sorry Ume, but this is the only way to make sure you are safe." He picked her up, and took her downstairs and laid her in a bed.


	9. Chapter 9

The tranquilizer soon wore off, and Ume woke up in a daze. The room was dark, and she saw that Chopper, Nami and Usopp were fast asleep in their hammocks. She stood up, and took her time to regain her balance. She walked out the room, hoping that she could catch Zoro and help him win the fight. She rubbed her eyes and looked at a clock hanging on the wall "How long was I out?!" She walked down the hall, seeing that there was still a light on in the kitchen. She wondered in, seeing Sanji sitting at the table, smoking a cigarette.

"Sanji.. you're still up? But why?"

"Ah you are finally awake. Feeling any better?"

Ume sat down next to him, and nodded softly "Yeah, but I still want to go help Zoro out."

"You can't do that. Besides, I'm pretty sure he is almost done."

"You never answered my question, Sanji. Why are you still up?"

"I'm waiting for them to get home. I want to make sure Robin- I mean, the gang is alright."

"You really care for Robin, don't you?"

Sanji put his half-smoked cigarette in an ash tray and looked over to Ume.

"Yeah, its silly, isn't it?"

"Not at all. I care for Zoro-"

"But you are a girl. For a guy to care, well.."

"It's not silly at all. Anyone can care, its human nature."

"Yeah, it may be.. But I always flirt a lot with other girls.. I bet it really hurts her."

"Yeah, I'm not going to sugar coat it, It probably does hurt her a lot."

"That was what I was afraid of. I hope I didn't hurt her too much.."

"You didn't hurt me, Sanji.. I knew it was only your nature.." Robin walked into the kitchen.

Sanji felt a soft blush form across his face. Ume stood up fast "Robin! You're back! Where's Zoro?!"

"I'm right here, Ume." Zoro walked into the doorway, his appearance was almost sickening. He certainly did look like he was in a fight. He had scratches all up and down his arms, his white shirt was slashed, and stained red from his blood. His green haramaki had a couple of rips, and was stained with blood.

Ume's eyes began to water. She ran up to him, not knowing if to hug him, or tend to his wounds. "Zoro! You're hurt! What happened?! Is Kazakura dead?!"

Zoro took Ume into his arms and formed a tight hug. "Ume, I'm so glad you are alright.. We beat him, but he's not quite dead... and well.."

"Well what? We need to get you cleaned and bandaged quickly!" Ume took his hand and tried leading her out the door. Instead, she felt resist. She turned around and looked up to Zoro, noticing that tears were flowing down his cheeks.

"Zoro.. whats going on?" Ume stopped, the look on Zoro's face made her heart sink

"Ume.. I'm so sorry. The battle.. It destroyed your dojo." He hid his face into his hands, and began to sob. Tears began to stream down Ume's cheeks, she shook her head and sighed "That's not important right now, Zoro. You are hurt. Its time to get you better."

"Ume.. please forgive me, it's all my fault.."

"Zoro, there is nothing to forgive. I'm just glad that you are alive." She hugged him, feeling him hug her twice as hard.

"If it makes you two feel better.. I will help rebuild the dojo." Luffy walked into the kitchen, it was also apparent that he took place in the fight.

"I will also" Robin sat down next to Sanji, and laid her head on his shoulder.

"And I will as well.." Sanji said quietly.

"It's settled then, Ume, We are going to make you a new home!" Luffy smiled, he walked over to the fridge.

Ume looked up to Zoro "Come on, lets get you nursed up.." She lead him into a vacant room on the lower level. It had a bed, a sink, and a mirror.

"Go ahead and get undressed, I'm going to go find you a change of clothes." Ume walked out of the room, heading into the kitchen to see if Sanji had any extra clothes. Zoro looked into the mirror and took a deep breath. 'How could you, Zoro. You almost got Ume killed..' He turned around and began to undress.

Ume walked back in with a pair of black shorts and a blue t shirt. "Here. Sanji is going to let you use these." She got a good look at Zoro's wounds, and felt her heart sink even lower.

"Sit down Zoro, I'm going to clean you up." She walked over to the sink, and began to soak a cloth in hot water. She walked over to him, and began to wipe off some of the dried blood on his shoulders. Zoro winced in pain, but was still able to talk normally.

"I'm sorry, Ume. I really am."

"Zoro, don't be sorry. It isn't your fault." Ume smiled and kissed the back of his neck. She stopped cleaning him for a second to hug him from behind. "Like I said, I am just so glad that you are okay.."

"Ume.. before the fight, when I went to go talk to the crew about leaving.. they weren't happy."

"I didn't expect them to be." Ume began cleaning up Zoro's arms.

"Yeah, but I'm still leaving. If they are really my friends, they will understand how much I care for you."

"Sanji understands."

"That stupid love cook? I doubt it."

"Zoro, please. He isn't stupid. He kept me safe, just as you asked. Besides he's having it kinda hard right now. He really cares for Robin but he hurt her and now doesn't know what to do."

"You are right, he DID keep you safe.. I would of killed him if something had happened to you."

"So.. now what.. where do we go from here.." Ume lowered her head, feeling tears build up.

"We might have to stay here for a bit, only until the dojo is being built."

"I want a bigger place this time.. a couple of rooms, a bathroom, a kitchen.. like a real home."

"That can be arranged, love." Zoro cupped Ume's chin in his hand, and kissed her softly. He soon pulled away and coughed in his hand. "Sorry, a lot of yelling went on in that fight.."

"Zoro.. are you feeling okay? I mean.. besides you being all cut up."

"I feel a little tired.. and of course, worn out.. but"

Ume felt Zoro's forehead. She sighed and stood up "You are running a fever. You're body is trying to fight infection."

"I'm fine, Ume. Really.."

"Well your body says different." She began to wash his back up, and then moved to his torso. After she was done, she stood back up and walked out of the room for an instant. She walked back in carrying Chopper's medical bag.

"Ume, isn't that?"

"Yeah, it's Chopper's bag. He's asleep so he can't doctor you right now. Its up to me."

"I really appreciate this, Ume.. really I do." Zoro closed his eyes, while Ume began wrapping his torso in bandages.

"I know you do, Zoro. This is my way of saying 'thanks' for saving me."

"I see. It was a hard battle, but Luffy, Robin and I finally took care of him."

"How did you do it?"

"Tag team. Come on, He can't win against 3 people."

"He was strong though.."

"That he was, but we were stronger."

Ume laid Zoro down gently and draped a blanket over him. She kissed him softly and caressed his cheek. "Thank you Zoro, for saving me."

"Anything for you, Ume."

"You do know I'm going to sleep in here tonight right?" Ume shifted her hips, and smirked.

"I would hope so, I'm injured. I need you to nurse me back to health." he winked with a small laugh.

"Let me go get a pillow and some blankets. You need anything?"

"No, I think I'm okay, thanks."

Ume walked out into the hall, and over to a storage closet. She pulled out a couple of blankets and a pillow for her. She walked back into the room where Zoro was, and made herself a bed. She shut off the lights, kissed Zoro goodnight, and laid back down.

"Hey, Ume?"

"Yeah, what is it, Zoro?"

"I would be lost without you."

Meanwhile, Sanji still was feeling a bit of insomnia, but he wasn't the only one. He decided to go to the top deck to get some fresh air. He pulled out a cigarette, and looked out to the ocean.

"You're still up? But why, Cook San?"

Sanji looked back, and saw that it was Robin.

"I just can't sleep. I have too much running through my mind."

"Like what?"

"What you said earlier. That it is just in my nature to flirt."

"Sanji, don't be upset at me, I didn't mean it in a bad way-"

"But it seems bad to me." He flicked his half smoked cigarette to the sea. He turned around to face her. "You really do mean a lot to me."

"I don't understand why, you are always bowing down to Nami, everywhere we go. I'm not jealous, im just pointing out facts." she brushed her hair out of her face.

"Be with me." Sanji took her hands, and looked into her eyes.

"Sanji, you've got to be kidding me-"

"I'm not, Robin. I'm being honest, please, be with me. Break me of my old habits, I only want to treat YOU right."

Robin's eyes began to water. She had never heard these words in her life, it made her heart skip a beat. "Only if you want to. I honestly don't want you to change a thing."


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Ume was awaken by Zoro's attempt to get out of bed. She sat up, and looked up to his bed. She saw him wincing in pain, trying his best to sit up.

"Sleep good?" Ume said as she stood up, and helped Zoro sit up.

"Eh. So so. I'm now starting to feel the aftermath of that fight, however."

"I expect you to, you fought hard, Zoro."

"I need to get up, though. We need to start on the house-"

"Can I ask, how badly destroyed is it.."

"Badly destroyed. Like, windows are busted in, the doors have huge holes in them, the dojo floor is all scratched up. The back room wasn't messed with at all, but-"

"Well, can't we just repair the dojo part, make it into a family room, and add onto the house? Its not like we need to tear down the whole thing, and spend all that time making a house."

"We could do that. Help me up, I'm going to go see if the others are willing to work on it today."

Ume did as she was told. She took ahold of Zoro's right arm, and helped him stand up on his own. She slowly let go, trusting that Zoro would be able to walk on his own.

"It feels great to stand." Zoro began to walk out of the room, Ume followed close by. They both walked into the kitchen, only to see that everyone was at the table, discussing about their new home. Chopper sat up quickly, as did Usopp and Nami "Zoro! You're okay!"

"Yeah, it was a hard fight, but, we beat him." Zoro smiled lightly, soon sitting down in a chair next to Sanji.

"Ume came up with a good point. Instead of tearing down the whole house, why not just replace the windows, the doors, and add on a couple of rooms and a bathroom. It would take less time, and it would cost less, too."

"Thats actually, a really good idea, Zoro." Robin sat down a small teacup, soon looking over to Ume and Zoro.

"So, when are we going to work on it?" Ume looked at each member of the crew, her eyes filled with hope.

"We could always start today. We have enough people helping out that it could take us about 4 weeks to finish."

"No way, It's going to take us much more time!" Ume held her head in her hands, feeling her hope slipping further and further down.

"Not with us. Remember Ume, we are the Strawhat Pirates. We can work fast, and accurately!" Nami smiled to Ume, soon seeing a smile appear on her face.

"Thanks you guys. I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem. Anything for a friend!" Luffy stood up, a big smile was stretched across his face. "So come on! Lets get to work!"

"Hold on, I still need to clean Zoro's wounds-"

"Then we can go ahead and start without you guys, you said it yourself, there are some things that need repaired!" Sanji lit a cigarette and stood up.

Soon the whole crew left to repair the dojo. Ume began to clean Zoro's wounds, like she promised.

"So.. Ume.." Zoro said as he looked down.

"Yeah, what is it, Zoro?"

"Wanna have some fun?" Zoro smirked at Ume, hoping she would agree.

"Zoro, you are hurt-"

"Exactly. I want you to ease my pain."

Ume leaned down and kissed Zoro passionately. "If I hurt you, say so."

Meanwhile, the crew finally made it to the dojo. Before they entered, Nami had a few things to say.

"Alright, I am pitching in 9,000 berries, anyone else have any money?"

"Well.. not really.. I mean you are the only one who has a lot of money that they can spare." Chopper said in a small voice. Nami sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Fine, I will pitch in 12,000 berries. That should be enough for some lumber, some new windows and some new doors. Robin, Sanji, you guys start cleaning up the glass and start removing the old windows .. or whats left of them. Luffy, come with me, I need someone as strong as you to help me carry everything. Usopp, you and Chopper start dusting and cleaning the place up."

"Anything for the sake of our friends." Usopp and Chopper both ran inside, and began to tidy up the place. Sanji and Robin began walking around, picking up bits and pieces of broken glass, while Nami and Luffy made their way to the village's hardware shop.

Nami and Luffy soon made it to the hardware store. Ume walked in first, searching isles for lumber, but it seemed as if the store had a very slim selection.

"Well, for 6 pieces of lumber, its about 600 berries.. Hmm, that's actually kind of cheap.. I guess use for lumber around here is kinda scarce. Alright Luffy, lets get 30 pieces. That's 5,400 berries down."

"Okay, well what about doors and windows?" Luffy turned around to face the isle where windows were. "The cheapest window here is 500 berries.."

"Alright, lets get 6 windows. That gets us up to 8,400 berries.. We have enough right now, we will have to come back later and get more."

Nami helped Luffy purchase their items, and carry it back to the dojo. They laid the lumber down inside in the spare room that Ume was using as a bedroom/kitchen. By the time they got back out to the main room of the dojo to help, The rest of the crew had everything pretty much cleaned up.

"Wow! How did you guys do this so fast?!" Nami exclaimed.

"Well, Robin and I picked up as much glass as we could, then she swept all the tiny shards up. As for Usopp and Chopper.. well we really weren't watching them. They must be that amazing."

"Well, now all we have to do is start adding on the rooms! I mean, that won't take us that long. Has anyone made up blue prints for the rooms we are adding on?"

There was silence.

"Alright fine, I guess I can draw something up quickly. We have enough boards right now to make at least 2 wall frames. And just the frames. We still have 4,400 left. However, by the time we get to make the other 2 walls, we will have spent all the berries." She sat down on the hard wood floor, and began doodling up room ideas.

"Lets do 25 ft by 25 ft. So they can have enough room to move around.." She began sketching out a big square. She drew up a smaller square "And for this room, maybe 15 ft by 15 ft. It could be a spare bedroom.. and the bathroom can also be 15ft by 15ft so a shower and a toilet can fit in there... The storage closet, or 'has been' storage room can be the kitchen. The dojo can be a living area, for the time being."

"That sounds good, when can we start?" Luffy jumped up and walked over to the pile of lumber. He picked up 2 long pieces of board, and looked over to Nami.

"The sooner, the better. How about, Usopp, Chopper, Sanji, and Luffy do the building of the rooms. Robin and I can install windows and start shopping for furniture.. Which is what we will be doing for awhile, so by the time we get back, I expect a little progress to be done."

Nami slipped on her coat, and waited for Robin to do the same. As soon as they were properly dressed for the winter weather, they walked into town. The sun shone higher, but the air was still freezing.

"So, Nami. What do you think about Zoro and Ume?"

"I think they make a great couple. I just hope Zoro doesn't hurt Ume with his ignorance."

"I don't think he will. I mean, he really acts like he cares for her. Do you think they are going to get married?"

"I can see it happening, yeah. No time soon, of course."

"Aww but that would be cute. And then they have kids.."

"I can't see Zoro being all warm and fuzzy just yet."

"Yeah. Speaking of.. Are you all still mad at Zoro for making his decision? I mean, I am upset, but I am not directly mad at him."

"Well, I'm not. I can tell Luffy's really upset. And Sanji looks like he's sorta upset about it. Chopper and Usopp are upset of course, but they are always off in their own little world.. It's going to be different not having Zoro around. Do you think we will ever be able to visit?"

"Of course, why wouldn't we?"

"Well just think. If they get married, have a baby, he's going to be too concentrated on his family than his friends."

"Nami, why do you think that? Of course Zoro would care for his family, but he would also care for his friends! I mean come on, he has been apart of Luffy's crew for over 2 years now."

"Yeah. I just really don't want to think about it anymore."

They soon reached the furniture store. The two women stepped inside.

Back at the dojo...

"Alright Luffy, hammer this nail through both pieces of lumber. And then after that, we need to add a middle piece to go right through the two connected." Sanji held 2 boards together at the ends tightly, waiting for Luffy to take action.

"Gotcha."

"Do you really or are you just saying that."

"No." Luffy hit the nail right on the head, and connected the two pieces of lumber to make a corner piece.

They soon heard the front door of the dojo open. It was Ume and Zoro.

"Wow! You guys have already cleaned up the place!" Zoro looked somewhat amazed at the work that the crew accomplished.

"It doesn't look bad at all, Zoro!"

"It did, trust me. There was glass all over the place, the door was broken.. Its hard to explain."

"Ah. Well, now that they are working on the rooms...."

"I'm going to help them build this frame."

Ume sighed. "No, Zoro. You are injured."

"Doesn't mean I can't help out."

"Yes it does. I don't want your wounds to open back up. Please Zoro, I'm not feeling that well right at the moment I don't want to worry."

"What do you mean, you don't feel well?"

"My back hurts, and my head hurts. Its just from sleeping on the floor last night, I'll be fine." She smiled to Zoro, hoping he wouldn't worry quite much anymore.

Zoro pulled Ume into a hug and kissed her forehead. "I am going to lay the mattress out here so you can rest. I promise you I will take it easy. I just feel like I should help out."

"Alright Zoro. I'll do as I am told."

Zoro walked into what used to be the bedroom/kitchen, and walked over to the cabinet. He took out a folded mattress, a pillow and a nice soft blanket. He walked back into the main part of the dojo, and made Ume a comfortable bed. He helped lay her down, and then kissed her on the forehead.

"Don't worry about me, Ume. I will be fine."

"Alright Zoro. I love you." Ume closed her eyes.

"I love you too, Ume." He stood up and walked into the old storage room, and joined the other guys in helping them build a frame for the other room."

"Uh, Luffy? Before we continue, maybe we should move this outside. The frame isn't going to fit through the door, you know."

"Yeah, I know that Zoro. I'm not stupid!" Luffy let out a big laugh, and turned around to walk out the door, to the dojo, and back outside. Usopp, Chopper, Sanji and Zoro followed, soon continuing their work outside.

4 hours quickly went by, and the guys of the crew got the whole frame done for the first room. Zoro began to start on the floor, hoping they would be half done with the first room by night.

"We worked pretty fast, I mean look at how much we got done!" Sanji stood back, lit up a cigarette, and smiled at his work.

"Yeah, usually it takes a day to do a frame for one room! But with us, we are unstoppable! Usopp's crew will never settle for less!" Usopp raised his right fist in the air triumphantly.

"I think we should call it a night, It's going to be getting completely dark soon." Zoro walked back in to see Ume was still sleeping. He picked her up, and looked back at the rest of the crew "I'm gonna take her home, she needs her rest." He walked out of the dojo, and back to the ship.

So i had an anonymous (coward chicken shit mother fucker) Post a review, saying that i must be a virgin. One, I'm not a virgin. I've been happily married for 2 years, and I am not afraid to admit that I love sex. And two, why read if you are just going to post negative comments? I mean come on man. I'm a fucking art student as well as a Hapkido Teacher, i'm not going into literature. Just a quick reminder, those who post negative shit, will get it removed. And people who don't post their names because they are afraid i am going to come kick their ass, well.. they are just plain ignorant. I'm not going for fucking perfection, I'm doing this because i love to write. For those sweet people out there who actually give me good advice and like my story, there is alot more story, so please stay tuned :)


	11. Chapter 11

The cold air nipped at Zoro's arms, but he didn't seem to care. He was holding Ume close to him, trying to warm the both of them up. It was just a short while until Zoro reached the Going Merry. He began to climb the rope ladder as best as he could while still holding onto Ume.

To no surprise, Zoro made it up to the main deck safely. He walked down to the main room, and laid Ume on a bed. He pulled a green blanket over her torso, and kissed her forehead.

"Sleep well, Ume."

"I'm awake, Zoro." Ume opened her eyes slowly. She looked at Zoro, and smiled softly.

"I'm sorry Ume, I didn't mean to wake you."

"Don't be. I'm glad I woke up. I wanted to see you before I fell asleep for the night."

"Aw, Ume. That's really sweet." He leaned down and kissed her softly. He sat back up, keeping contact with her eyes.

"Zoro? Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, ask me anything."

"Well, you told me about your fight with Mihawk. You said that you were going to meet him and take your title as 'Greatest Swordsman in the World.' But, you said you were done being a pirate. Why?"

"Well, Ume. I have what makes me happy." He brushed a piece of hair away from her forehead. He tucked it behind her left ear. "Sure, I would love to be the greatest swordsman in the world, but I do not want to put you in any danger. That's why I chose to stay here. Because I love you and I don't want anything to ever happen to you."

"Zoro.. What if I said, we travel the seas, and find this Mihawk guy, so you can kick his ass."

"Ume, you can't be serious. We are building our home, who's going to watch it for us even if we would go?"

"The towns people know me, they will be able to help watch it. Zoro, please. I do not want you to give up your dreams."

"Yeah. I promised someone I would be the greatest.."

"Who Zoro?"

"A friend of mine. She passed away when I was young. And I promised that I would become the greatest swordsman in the world."

Ume hugged onto Zoro, and rested her head on his chest. "Then we will go, if you want."

"Only if you will be by my side, cheering me on."

"Of course." Ume lifted her head, and kissed Zoro softly. "But, what are we going to tell the others?" Just as Ume was asking Zoro, Nami and Robin walked into the room.

"Is Ume feeling better? We finished up for the night." Nami took off her jacket and hung it over her bedpost. Robin lit a couple of lanterns, and sat down on the bed nearest to Ume's.

"Hey, Is everyone on board?" Zoro looked out the door, into the hallway.

"Yeah, why?" Robin laid back into the bed.

"Because Ume and I have something to tell you all."

"What is there to tell us?" Luffy soon entered the room, Chopper and Usopp followed.

"Ah. That's almost everyone." Zoro said as he looked around the room, and noticed that Sanji wasn't there.

"Chopper, go get Sanji, please." Ume asked as she sat up straight.

"Aye." Chopper ran off into the hall to find Sanji.

"Seriously, what is there to tell us? I wanna know!" Luffy stomped his right foot. Zoro stood up and moved to the side. "Sit down Luffy. This is good news."

"It better be. I'm hungry. " Luffy walked over to the bed and sat down. Soon, Chopper came walking through the door, right behind him, walked Sanji.

"Alright. Ume and I have something to tell you. We have decided, that after our home is built, that we will vacation out at sea with you all. I've always had the dream of being the World's Greatest Swordsman, and I feel in order to fulfill that dream, I have no other choice, but to duel Hawkeye Mihawk again. Will you except us upon the ship, Captain?" He turned towards Luffy.

Everyone else had smiles on their faces. Luffy jumped up, a huge grin spread across his face. "Anything for you, Zoro! When can we set sail?!"

"Well, we would like to get the house built and assembled. And then I have to research on Hawk-Eye's whereabouts. That could take awhile as well..-"

"Not a problem! We can help!" Nami and Robin chimed in. Ume hugged onto Zoro's right arm, and rested her head on his shoulder. Things were finally working out great. Ume only hoped that it would stay that way for as long as possible. The night went on, and after a good meal, the straw-hat pirates fell asleep, all dreaming of what adventures would come their way.

The next morning, Zoro woke up from the sun shining through the nearest window. He sat up and realized that him and Ume were the only ones in the room.

"They must have gone to work on the house already. My crew is so great." Zoro smiled to himself and stood up out of bed. He bent down and looked at Ume. He brushed a piece of her purple locks behind her ear, and bent down to kiss her forehead. He pulled away quickly, soon sitting down on the bed.

"Ume? Ume wake up please." Zoro spoke softly.

Ume let out a soft moan. She opened her eyes slowly, looking up at Zoro.

"Are you feeling okay? You're burning up."

Ume shook her head. "I'm not feeling well. But I'll be okay. Let me get up and make you some breakfast." Ume sat back up, but was forced down gently by Zoro.

"No. You are sick, Ume. It is my responsibility to take care of you, and I say you are not getting out of this bed."

Ume closed her eyes and sighed. "Alright, Zoro. But what about the house.."

"The other's have already gone and began working. I'm going to go wet a cold wash rag so you can put it on your forehead, and then I'm going to go tell the others that you are sick and that I am going to take care of you. They will understand." He stood up and walked out of the room.

Ume sighed softly "Oh Zoro. You are so kind to me."

Zoro soon walked back in, with a cold wash rag. He placed it on her forehead, and then reached down for her blanket. He pulled it close to her chin, and tucked her in tight. He bent down and kissed her softly "I will be back soon. Just rest alright?"

"Alright." Ume closed her eyes.

Zoro stood back up and walked out of the bedroom. He walked up to the main deck, and then down the rope ladder. He made his way to his "Soon to be" home. In just a few short moments, he made it to the place. Zoro was amazed at what he was looking at. He walked in to see that the crew was hard at work. The house was halfway complete in just two days.

"Nice job guys! How long have you been working?"

"We left the ship at about 5:00 this morning, and began working at 5:30. It's now 11:30.. so I would say, 6 hours." Robin put down a hammer and walked over to Zoro. "Good news, Nami and I know which area Mihawk's in most of the time."

"And that would be?"

"Well..It says he's usually in the Grand line area.."

Zoro sat down and sighed heavily. "I already knew that.. Its going to take us forever to find him."

"Well, it says he's usually around Holiday Island on some occasions.."

"No, I do not feel safe with taking Ume there. That place is too weird.."

"Oh come on, Zoro. We have enough people to make sure she stays safe. You said it yourself, you want this done." Robin stood back up and walked over to the window.

"Yeah, I do. I want to continue my life with Ume. I want to be able to live here without regretting my decisions." He looked out the window, the sun lit the little village up.

Meanwhile:

Ume tossed and turned in her bed. She finally opened her eyes, and decided to go up on deck to see how the weather was. Her balance was still a little off, but she managed her way up. She went to the back of the ship, to see the horizon. Everything seemed clear, except she saw a small light in the distance.

"Ume, get ahold of yourself.. you are seeing things.." She said softly to herself, as she felt her forehead. She turned around, and made her way back downstairs to her bed. However, Ume really wasn't 'Just seeing things', the light was really there. It was the light of a green candle. A dark shadow outline soon appeared.

"Alright guys, I need to go back to the ship. Ume's come down with something." Zoro stood up and faced his crew.

"Oh! She must need a doctor! I'll come back with you, Zoro!" Chopper jumped up and rushed over to Zoro.

"Oh, Chopper I'ts just a cold! Nothing too bad. She just hasn't had enough rest recently. Continue to work, I'll take care of her." he smiled, not showing any worry what-so-ever.

"Okay.. Well if she gets worse, you know where to find me." Chopper turned around and walked back to the kitchen.

Zoro shook his head, and made his way out the front door. "I'll see you guys later! If you need us, you know where we are!" He waved goodbye, and made his way back to the ship.

The wind began to blow a little harder with each gust. Zoro looked around, and saw nothing suspicious. As he got closer, he noticed that there was a glowing light coming closer to the ship. He came to a halt, and felt his body get cold. "It.. can't be.."

The light soon came closer, and the outline of a man carrying a gigantic cross on his back became visible. The man's tiny coffin ship washed upon shore. The man stood up, looking straight at Zoro.

"Ah. Just the man I was looking for." The man walked up to Zoro.

"You were looking for me, Hawkeye?" Zoro became confused. He continued to keep a serious face.

"Yes. I heard you and your gang beat the shit out of Kazakura." Mihawk smirked. He studied Zoro up and down, and realized there was something different.

"You grew older. And I hope, you are more experienced."

"To tell you the truth, I was about to set on a quest to find you, and steal your title." Zoro smirked. He untied the bandana from his arm, and tied it onto his head. "This time, I fight alone."

"I'm glad to hear that, Roronoa." Mihawk pulled out Kokutou Yoru straight from his back. He looked at Zoro, his stance at the ready. "Draw your sword, Roronoa Zoro."

"Way ahead of you. Don't hold back." Zoro charged towards Mihawk, he unsheathed each of his swords exceptionally fast, making sure that his guard was not let down.


End file.
